News

The February Newsletter

School Funding Next Year

On Friday, the Governor’s team presented his Executive Budget to the Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget. This spending proposal will be the baseline for budget negotiations throughout the legislative session and is expected to change before being finalized by both chambers in the final days of the session.

In this proposal, the Governor includes a meager amount for teacher and school employee pay raises: $400 pay increase for teachers/certified personnel and $200 for school support staff.

Being an educator is harder than ever. This year, teacher morale has plummeted

Today, Governor Edwards announced that K-12 teachers and school employees will be eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine beginning Monday, February 22nd. As most of you know, LFT members have urged the Governor’s office to grant educators priority access to the COVID-19 vaccine since the State first began assembling its vaccination rollout plan.

In a statement released today, LFT President Larry Carter said “This is an important development for our teachers, school employees, and the communities they serve. Vaccinating teachers and school employees is one of the best tools we have to keep

COVID-19 RELIEF FUNDING

Louisiana school districts are poised to receive nearly 4x more COVID-19 relief funding under the latest federal relief plan. This aid does come with restrictions in how districts may allocate the funds, but it is a much needed and long overdue step towards a reprieve for our educators and students who have been ‘making it work’ for far too long. We are excited about the possibilities this funding presents, but it is vital that teachers

“Without a doubt, this year has brought unprecedented challenges to our lives,” says President Carter in a special end-of-year message to the members of Louisiana Federation of Teachers and School Employees. “I am so proud of the solidarity and passion I have seen from LFT members…Whether it’s lobbying BESE, speaking out at local school board meetings, talking to journalists, or participating in socially distanced protests, teachers and school employees have found ways to make their voices heard.”

This election cycle, Louisiana voters will consider seven possible constitutional amendments, in addition to candidates and local ballot initiatives. Each could have a lasting impact on our state.

LFT strongly OPPOSES Constitutional Amendment #5 because it could rob our schools of vital funding, here is our position on all the amendments:

Amendment 1: No Position
Amendment 2: OPPOSE
Amendment 3: OPPOSE
Amendment 4: OPPOSE
Amendment 5: OPPOSE
Amendment 6: SUPPORT
Amendment 7: OPPOSE

To see a full explanation of LFT’s positions, click

SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM PRESIDENT CARTER:

This year, “back-to-school” is unlike anything we’ve ever faced. Some of you are in the classroom, some aren’t. Many students still don’t know when they may return to a school building. Perhaps what’s most frustrating, is that too many school districts left their planning to the last minute, leaving teachers, support staff, parents, and students scrambling.

All over the state, teachers and support staff have come together to demand safety for their students and in their schools. Whether it’s lobbying BESE, speaking out at local School Board Meetings, talking to journalists, or participating in socially-distanced protests, educators have found ways to make their voices heard. I’m so proud of the solidarity and passion I have seen from LFT members in these last few months. Your compassion, dedication, and wherewithal knows no bounds and you have truly made an impact on the lives of your students and their families.

Without the dedicated work of LFT members, many school districts...

LFT members are coming together to protect students and staff from COVID-19!

Since schools closed on March 13th, LFT, AFT and your Local affiliate have been working to protect the health and safety of Louisiana’s educators. We immediately began to collect resources to help families impacted by COVID-19 and find clarity around policy and regulatory issues given our new reality. With the help of our dedicated members, LFT petitioned local authorities to...

Confronting Racism and in Support of Black Lives

AFT Resolution

CONFRONTING RACISM AND IN SUPPORT OF BLACK LIVES

WHEREAS, foundational to our work must be the belief in justice for all, and that the fight for fairness, justice and dignity must encompass everyone—regardless of race, religion, gender, language, national origin or sexual orientation; and

WHEREAS, more than 400 years after Africans arrived upon these shores where they and their descendants were enslaved for nearly 250 years, and more than 150 years after the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution granted citizenship and equal protection under the law to all, followed by another

PPE FOR LFT MEMBERS

LFT has partnered with our national affiliate, American Federation of Teachers to bring 30,000 masks to Louisiana teachers and school staff. These masks were donated to LFT by the United States Heartland China Association and the Wanxiang Group.

Inadequate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) has plagued frontline workers throughout the pandemic, which is why LFT and our partners are making these free masks available to any member who needs one. Please contact your local affiliate to get your mask or learn about their individual distribution plan.

DON’T FORFEIT OUR FUTURE: PASS THE HEROES ACT

Today is the beginning of Teacher Appreciation Week!

I hope you and your family are safe and healthy. Even though we’re physically distant, it’s important that we recognize the remarkable work our teachers and support staff do every day.

On March 13th our world changed in an unprecedented way – every public school in the state shut down and we were given little time to prepare for remote learning. Under immense pressure, you worked around the clock

The February Newsletter

School Funding Next Year

Educators Can Get the Vaccine Starting Monday!

January Newsletter

December Newsletter & Special Message from President Carter

Constitutional Amendments

Back-to-School Newsletter

Summer Newsletter

LFT members are coming together to protect students and staff from COVID-19!

Confronting Racism and in Support of Black Lives

The May Newsletter

PPE FOR LFT MEMBERS

DON’T FORFEIT OUR FUTURE: PASS THE HEROES ACT

Teacher Appreciation Week 2020