News

State Representative Patricia Haynes Smith has been named the Louisiana Federation of Teachers’ Friend of Education for 2017. The Friend of Education Award is the highest honor that the Louisiana Federation of Teachers bestows on non-members of the union. It is presented to individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to public education.

John Hunter Berry, an eighth grade student at Caddo Middle Magnet School in Shreveport, is the designer of the Louisiana Federation of Teachers’ 2017 holiday greeting card. John’s teacher is Erin Sitten.

Delegates to the 53^rd annual Louisiana Federation of Teachers convention cheered news of the union’s biggest growth spurt, honored legislators and union leaders for their dedication to public education, were buoyed by keynote addresses from nationally recognized speakers, and were inspired by a best-selling author whose work with disadvantaged children became a popular motion picture.

Dear Teachers,

I want to send a heartfelt thank you for the hard work you do every day. Rain or shine, you all show up in more ways than one.

Coghill Charter School Teachers Unite Around Voice and Stability in the Classroom

Teachers at Mary D. Coghill Charter School in New Orleans have formed a union, with more than 93 percent of staff signing a petition asking the school board to recognize the United Teachers of New Orleans as their exclusive collective bargaining representative.

(Covington – October 20, 2016) Nearly 200 teachers and school employees met Tuesday night to unanimously approve a new contract between the St. Tammany Federation of Teachers and School Employees and the parish school board.

Responding to a column in The Advocate, LFT Interim President Larry Carter made it clear that the Federation supports the idea of a year-long residency for new teachers, but has concerns about the plan approved by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.

(Baton Rouge – October 5, 2016) Louisiana Federation of Teachers Interim President Larry Carter has been named to Governor John Bel Edwards’ advisory panel on the Every Student Succeeds Act, a federal education law aimed at improving student performance in public schools.

Through the signing of an Executive Order Thursday, Governor John Bel Edwards established an advisory council on the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) - the new, bipartisan law that recently reauthorized the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Louisiana Association of Educators President Debbie Meaux and Louisiana Federation of Teachers Chief of Staff Marcus Fontenot joined the governor as he made the order official.

Leaders of the LFT and the LAE applaud the Louisiana Legislature for granting a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) to current retirees of the Louisiana public school system.