In an effort to address the decade-old teacher shortage, numerous bills aimed at enticing retired teachers back to the classroom have been filed. While these bills are getting a lot of attention right now because of the teacher shortage, RTW laws have impacted TRSL since 1957. Over the years, some of these bills have been so extreme that they threatened the long-term financial stability of TRSL. Currently, there are a few options that are modest in their reach and unlikely to cause damage to the system. They may even encourage a few teachers to come out of retirement and return to the classroom in the short term, but they offer no solution to the crippling teacher shortage that is currently plaguing our schools. Over the last few months, BESE members, legislators, and other officials have touted the idea of retirees returning to the classroom as a solution to the teacher shortage. In truth, the number of retired teachers who chose to return to the classroom has decreased dramatically over the last ten years. MORE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE At the United Teachers of New Orleans General Membership Meeting on April 13th,  members chose new and returning leaders for its executive council. Dave Cash was selected UTNO President. He will be the thirteenth president of AFT Local 527 since it was chartered in 1937. “I’m excited to serve teachers, paraprofessionals, and support staff in New Orleans schools,” Cash said. “UTNO has a long history of fighting for and winning more democracy in our workplaces. We know that when teachers are at the table, students benefit.” Cash has previously served as Executive Vice President (2020-2022) and Recording Secretary (2008-2020). He will continue to work as a classroom teacher at Rooted School while serving as UTNO president. MORE

January 9, 2022 The increasing spread of COVID-19 in New Orleans is worrying. Each day, the city is breaking the previous day’s record for COVID-19 cases, hospitalization rates have doubled, and over 30% of people in New Orleans who get a COVID-19 test are currently testing positive. MORE

Orleans Parish: Clerk - 2nd City Court . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Lisa Ray Diggs Jefferson Parish (City of Kenner): Mayor....................................................... Michael Glaser (dual)                                                                Ben Zahn (dual) Chief of Police......................................... Keith Conley Councilmember District 2...................... Ronnie Sharwath Councilmember District 3...................... Joey LaHatte, III Councilmember District 5...................... Brian Brennan MORE

✔️ HB 510: Ending the Onslaught of Trainings ✔️ HB 363: Teacher Voice in SLTs ✔️ HB 98: Amended ✔️ SB 151: Preserving Local Control of ITEP ✔️ HB 819: Extending Maternal Health Leave to All Employees ❌ HB 986: Privatizing Food Services in Schools ❌ SB 145: Eliminating Local Input in Corporate Charter Schools ➡️ Six Opportunities to TAKE ACTION MORE

The legislative session is in full swing, and the committees are considering important legislation that will impact educators and their families all over the state. One of the most enlightening discussions came on Wednesday during the consideration of House Bill 363. HB 363 (Bryant) seeks to cement existing BESE policy into law. Unfortunately, the policy often isn’t followed in schools. Under BESE policy, SLTs are supposed to be drafted by teachers at the beginning of each school year, based on the unique needs of their students. Unfortunately, in many districts there is little-to-no discussion. This doesn’t happen everywhere, but it does happen too often, and it deprives our students of the individualized attention they are supposed to get from their educators. HB 363 simply says that if SLTs aren’t “developed collaboratively” with the teacher, those SLT scores shall not be used in the teacher’s evaluation. It is supported by both teachers' unions and the Louisiana Association of Principals – all the stakeholders involved in this process in the schools. However, it faced significant pushback from the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry and the Pelican Institute... MORE