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Legislation

Legislative update with picture of state capitol

Sine Die: Your Unions, Your Voice

Thanks to the efforts of LFT, our members who took action, and legislators who prioritized education, we were able to pass several bills that protect your rights and voice. In the coming weeks, LFT will provide a full breakdown of education and other legislation affecting educators.

Fair Compensation

While it is not the permanent pay raise fought and advocated for, you will not receive less compensation next year than this year. Teachers will once again receive a $2,000 stipend and support staff will receive a $1,000 stipend to be distributed by December 15

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Legislative update with picture of state capitol

11 weeks in and we’ve come full circle 

In our first legislative update of the session, we shared that the new governor, a new BESE, and many new legislators have said they want to allow teachers to get back to teaching and make education a profession that will attract and retain the best and the brightest. We welcomed them to the fight and asked them to pass laws and policies that will truly allow you the freedom to teach and care for our students, starting with a pay raise that matches the rising living costs.

While LFT continues to fight for the permanent pay raise we were promised, the

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Promises Made, Promises Broken…Again and Again.

While your unions fight to protect your freedoms, legislators continue to say one thing while doing another. Contrary to promises made once the Convention convenes, anything and everything is open for debate–funding for public education, the homestead exemption, retirement for teachers and public employees and a host of other items safeguarded by the Constitution.

This week, the governor said during an event that if lawmakers are able to revise the constitution, they could unlock funding to cover the potentially huge cost of ESA programs, which

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Legislative update with picture of state capitol

This past week was Teacher’s Appreciation Week and we heard a lot of legislators say how much they appreciate our educators–will their actions match their words? 

Your unions are in the legislature fighting for your pay raise, fair workload, discipline, and safety

Both SB 205, which safeguards teacher’s right to a reasonable workload and fair compensation, and SB 213, which provides adequate time for support personnel to heal from injury while helping students, passed through the Senate and will be heard in the House on Tuesday.  ✅HB 322 will be heard on the Senate floor–this is the last

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We are over halfway through the session and here’s what you need to know. 

Legislators have praised the bills to address the concerns you brought to us over unfair workloads, discipline, and safety. These bills were filled by your union! 

Both SB 205, which safeguards teacher’s right to a reasonable workload and fair compensation, and SB 213, which provides adequate time for support personnel to heal from injury while helping students, passed through the Senate and head to the House! ✅HB 322 passed out of Senate Education and will be heard on Senate floor, protecting teacher’s right to teac

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Your unions are fighting to make your voice heard. In addition to LFT's ongoing fight for a permanent pay raise for teachers and support personnel, we have made great strides in bringing the issues to legislators that teachers and staff have told us impact their quality of life and ability to do their jobs effectively–workload, discipline, and safety.

Next week, legislators will hear several critical bills filed by your unions that fight for a permanent raise, protect teacher’s right to a fair workload and allow teachers to teach free from disruption. We are asking you to take three specific

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It’s time to stand up for Louisiana students and educators!

Right now, the Louisiana legislature is moving bills through the state house that will hurt public education in the state for years to come.

  • ❌Dues deduction bills: Takes away your freedom to spend your paycheck as you choose.

  • ❌Voucher bills: Our school districts are subject to losing funding to these voucher programs, seriously impacting our public education system.

  • HB 800 was up for discussion last week and sets the stage for a fast-tracked Constitutional Convention. Few details are known at this point, but elected

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leg update

This week will be a busy one. Bills must start moving through the process now for them to be heard during the legislative session due to an expected shortened session.

LFT will continue to update you on progress and actions to take to protect your freedom and rights to compensation, safety and discipline, and a fair workload.
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Last year, the Louisiana Federation of Teachers asked teachers and support staff to take a series of surveys to gauge the priorities and concerns of educators in Louisiana. The results were not surprising. Your top concerns have not changed over the past decade: Compensation, Workload, and Discipline

LFT has been with you, bringing your issues to BESE and the legislature year after year. In the past, anti-public education agendas and political ambition have overshadowed what is needed to allow you the freedom to teach and the ability to earn enough to support your family. 

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In the final hours of the legislative session, the House chose not to take up SCR 2, the legislative instrument for the Minimum Foundation Program (MFP), the funding mechanism for K-12 education. This action ended any hopes of a permanent pay raise for educators this legislative session. Instead, the legislature chose to pay educators one-time stipends.   In an effort to appease educators, the body also included language in the preamble of the budget that asks future members of the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) to include this year’s education funding in next year’s MFP. This will require future legislators and the future governor to do what this legislature would not: fund a permanent raise. Next year, Louisiana will have a new governor and many new legislators, so it is unclear whether or not they will honor the request to secure this year’s funding into next year’s MFP. If they do not, there will likely be little recourse for Louisiana’s educators and students. The amount funded in the budget will give teachers a one-time stipend of $2,000 and support staff $1,000. Additionally, the budget contains $25 million for differential pay stipends for some teachers in “high needs areas,” as determined by local school boards. This stipend is also not guaranteed next year. MORE