AUGUST 31, 2015 – BATON ROUGE, LA – The leaders of Louisiana’s two largest public education unions –the Louisiana Federation of Teachers and the Louisiana Association of Educators – today announced a joint effort to spotlight candidates who support the best interests of public education.

District 3 Member Dr. Lottie Beebe: “Louisiana cannot believe the claims that the 2012 reforms work.”

A Board of Elementary and Secondary Education member is taking issue with an editorial in The Advocate praising the state education board for the so-called reforms enacted in 2012 and pushed by Superintendent of Education John White and a majority of BESE members.

BESE Report – August 2015

Louisiana’s big business lobby is on track to spend an unprecedented amount on races for the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education this fall.

The Jefferson Parish School Board’s approval of a collective bargaining agreement with the Jefferson Federation of Teachers marks the return of teacher voice in educational decisions and a culture of collaboration, which have been rejected for the last three years by the former board.

Statement by LFT President Steve Monaghan

(July 24, 2015) Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims of the senseless, tragic shooting in Lafayette last night. It is especially poignant to learn that two of the victims are our colleagues, high school teachers who were simply taking in a movie on a Thursday night.

Governor Bobby Jindal has signed a $24.6 billion state budget that includes an additional $36 million for public education, but vetoed a 1.5% cost of living adjustment for retired teachers, school employees and other public servants.