BESE Report - December, 2015

It’s a conflict that has frustrated parents and school administrators ever since a protest movement last spring prompted thousands of students to opt-out of taking PARCC tests. Federal law requires schools to report test scores and be graded based on them, but no law forces students to take the tests.

In a compromise that was vetted by the Parish Superintendents Advisory Council, but not the Accountability Commission, BESE approved an emergency rule that allows schools in which students to avoid penalties, at least for one year.

(New Orleans – November 21, 2015) “The right man at the right time for Louisiana.” That is how Louisiana Federation of Teachers President Steve Monaghan introduced Representative John Bel Edwards when the Federation announced its endorsement last March.

Voters obviously agreed, and Rep. Edwards will become Governor Edwards on January 11, 2016.

BESE Report – August 2015

Louisiana’s big business lobby is on track to spend an unprecedented amount on races for the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education this fall.

The Jefferson Parish School Board’s approval of a collective bargaining agreement with the Jefferson Federation of Teachers marks the return of teacher voice in educational decisions and a culture of collaboration, which have been rejected for the last three years by the former board.

Statement by LFT President Steve Monaghan

(July 24, 2015) Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims of the senseless, tragic shooting in Lafayette last night. It is especially poignant to learn that two of the victims are our colleagues, high school teachers who were simply taking in a movie on a Thursday night.

Governor Bobby Jindal has signed a $24.6 billion state budget that includes an additional $36 million for public education, but vetoed a 1.5% cost of living adjustment for retired teachers, school employees and other public servants.