President Larry Carter delivered testimony before the Senate Education Committee in support of SB 157 by Senator Sam Jenkins, standing up for the teachers and school employees who keep Louisiana’s schools running every day.
On behalf of the Louisiana Federation of Teachers and School Employees, President Carter made it clear that this is not just policy, it is personal.
Nearly 1,500 teachers and school employees responded to LFT’s survey, sharing real and often heartbreaking experiences.
Teachers, paraprofessionals, bus drivers, cafeteria workers, custodians, nurses, and clerical staff spoke about returning to work too soon after childbirth, using all their sick leave just to have a baby, and facing pay cuts when their children got sick.
Some shared that they had to send newborns to daycare at just six weeks old. Others said they delayed starting families, planned pregnancies around the school calendar, or questioned staying in the profession altogether because leave is unpaid or insufficient.
SB 157 offers a meaningful solution. The bill provides six weeks of paid parental leave at 100 percent of base pay. It covers birth, pregnancy loss, adoption, and foster placement, applies to both full-time and part-time employees, and ensures that workers are not forced to use their sick or annual leave before accessing this benefit.
President Carter emphasized that if Louisiana is serious about recruiting and retaining educators, policies like this matter. No school employee should be punished for welcoming a child into their family.
This is about dignity, stability, and respect for the people who take care of our children every single day. It is time Louisiana shows up for them.
The bill passed out of committee.
Special thanks to Senator Jenkins for authoring this bill.
