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Laura Harper is a fierce defender of public education who has served for 23 years as Paraprofessional and School Related Personnel Chair of the Jefferson Federation of Teachers. At the recent AFT/PSRP Conference in Washington, D.C. Laura received this year's Albert Shanker Pioneer Award.

Thanks to the strong support of her Louisiana brothers and sisters, Lynette Thomas was voted the American Federation of Teachers’ Everyday Hero among Paraprofessionals and School Related Personnel. Lynette, who is the food service manager at St. Martinville Primary School in St. Martin Parish, will be the AFT’s guest at the union’s upcoming national convention in Detroit.

(Baton Rouge – April 11, 2012) In a decision that will have a major impact on school districts around the state, an appeals court has ruled that districts may not reduce school employees’ salaries by furloughs or other means.

UPDATE: The Senate passed both HB 974 and HB 976 on Wednesday night and sent them to the House of Represenatives for concurrence. On Thursday, the House passed both bills and sent them to Gov. Jindal for his signature. Complete details will be coming in the next LFT Legislative Digest.

(Baton Rouge – April 4, 2012) As senators prepared to vote on key elements of Gov. Bobby Jindal’s radical education agenda, LFT President Steve Monaghan promised that educators will not forget how their elected leaders voted on the bills.

(Baton Rouge – March 27, 2012) Schools in Calcasieu Parish closed today so that teachers could visit the State Capitol in Baton Rouge and share their concerns with lawmakers about Gov. Bobby Jindal’s radical education plans.

Read more details in the Weekly Legislative Digest - click here.

(Baton Rouge – March 23, 2012) Exhausted state representatives did as they were instructed by the Jindal administration Thursday, staying in session for more than 15 hours to ensure passage of two centerpieces of the governor’s extreme education agenda.

Following the marathon session, Louisiana Federation of Teachers President Steve Monaghan questioned the need to steamroll HB 974 and HB 976 so early in the legislative season.

(Baton Rouge – March 21, 2012) Louisiana Federation of Teachers President Steve Monaghan responded with outrage to the Jindal administration’s efforts to intimidate lawmakers and teachers opposed to his radical education “reform” scheme.

Watch Rep. John Bel Edwards respond to the Jindal attack.

Retired Louisiana Federation of Teachers President Fred Skelton was inducted into the Louisiana AFL-CIO Hall of Fame at the union’s annual convention in Baton Rouge on March 5.

February 27, 2012 was not a good day for good government.

In a more than obvious display of deference to Governor Bobby Jindal, the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education on Monday approved a public school funding formula that would guarantee spending taxpayer money – including local education funds - for private and religious school tuition vouchers.

For the fourth year in a row, Gov. Bobby Jindal proposes a state budget that freezes public education’s Minimum Foundation Program funding at the 2008-09 level.