Tangipahoa Federation of Teachers

08/22/2026

Congratulations to Mr. Ron Genco for being chosen as the next Superintendent of the Tangipahoa Parish School System. We know that with his life long commitment to Tangipahoa that more great things are in store for the system! It is so well deserved!

We would also like to thank Mrs. Stilley for her long time service to the district in all of the positions she has served in during her career in Tangi including her current role as superintendent. Thank you for your time, effort, and dedication to the students of Tangipahoa!

06/10/2026

Today, Louisiana Federation of Teachers President Larry Carter testified before BESE on behalf of more than 18,000 teachers and school employees across our state.

President Carter made it clear: teachers and school employees cannot afford a pay cut.

While acknowledging efforts to continue teachers and school employees stipends for the 2026-2027 school year, he urged BESE and the Louisiana Department of Education to provide full transparency about how proposed funding changes would impact local school districts, students, and school employees.

Louisiana's academic progress has been the result of a team effort. Teachers, paraprofessionals, counselors, nurses, bus drivers, cafeteria workers, specialists, principals, and support staff all play a critical role in student success. Every employee deserves respect and fair compensation.

President Carter called for a district-by-district impact analysis so parents, employees, taxpayers, and community members can understand exactly how funding reductions would affect their schools.

"Louisiana needs a plan that protects compensation, protects students, protects school funding, and moves us toward a permanent salary solution."

Thank you to President Carter for standing up for Louisiana's educators, school employees, and students.

05/29/2026

LFT-Supported Paid Parental Leave Heads to Governor’s Desk

SB 157 has been sent to the governor’s desk, and the Louisiana Federation of Teachers strongly supports it becoming law.

This is an important and long-overdue step for Louisiana’s teachers and school employees, and for the families and students they serve.

For too long, many teachers and school employees have had to choose between caring for a newborn, recovering from childbirth, welcoming an adopted or foster child, grieving a pregnancy loss, or protecting their paycheck.

We heard from members who returned to work before their babies were ready for daycare, who used every day of sick leave for maternity leave and then were docked when their child got sick, and who delayed starting families because they could not afford unpaid or underpaid leave.

Louisiana’s teachers and school employees care for other people’s children every day. When it is time to care for their own families, they should not be left on their own.

SB 157 recognizes that paid parental leave is not just a benefit. It is a recruitment and retention tool.

If Louisiana wants to attract and keep qualified teachers, paraprofessionals, bus drivers, cafeteria workers, custodians, clerical staff, nurses, and other school employees, then we have to respect the realities of their lives and families.

SB 157 establishes the framework for eligible employees to receive six weeks of paid parental leave at 100 percent of base pay for birth, pregnancy loss, adoption, and foster placement, subject to future legislative funding. It also protects employees from being forced to exhaust their sick, annual, or compensatory leave before taking parental leave.

Importantly, SB 157 also creates the Paid Parental Leave for Educators Fund to reimburse school systems for substitute costs associated with paid parental leave. That fund matters.

Creating the policy is the first step, but the legislature must fund it in the future, so this promise becomes a reality in every school system and does not become an unfunded mandate.

This law reflects Louisiana family values in a meaningful way. Supporting families should include supporting the people who serve Louisiana’s children in our public schools every day.

LFT appreciates Senator Jenkins’ continued advocacy on behalf of teachers and school employees. He has sponsored many important bills on behalf of LFT and educators in the past, and SB 157 is another meaningful example of that commitment.

SB 157 is the kind of family-friendly policy that reflects Louisiana’s family values.

LFT appreciates the legislators who chose to step up, support this bill, and recognize that supporting families must include supporting the teachers and school employees who serve Louisiana’s children every day.

We will continue to advocate for the future funding and implementation necessary to make this promise real for school employees across the state.

05/29/2026

LFT-Supported Teacher’s Shield Act Advances to Governor’s Desk

HB 283 becoming law is an important step for the teachers and school employees who have been seriously injured while doing their jobs, and for the students whose learning depends on safe, orderly classrooms.

This law is not about ordinary classroom discipline or low-level student misbehavior. It is a targeted response to serious incidents involving assault or battery on teachers, bus operators, substitutes, and other school employees.

When violent behavior is not dealt with, the classroom becomes unsafe for everyone in it. A serious assault or battery does not affect only the employee who is injured. It disrupts instruction, undermines the authority of teachers and school employees, creates fear and instability, and affects every student’s ability to learn in a safe environment.

Teachers and school employees told us clearly that they need to know the law will back them up when serious violence occurs.

HB 283 does that by strengthening the response to assault and battery, requiring serious incidents to be documented, requiring appropriate alternative placement and intervention for the student, and making clear that injured teachers and school employees may use leave for medical treatment, psychological treatment, and physical rehabilitation.

This matters for school safety, but it also matters for teacher recruitment and retention.

Louisiana cannot ask teachers and school employees to stay in the profession, or convince new people to enter it, if they do not believe they will be safe and supported at work.

HB 283 sends a clear message: serious violence in schools must be treated seriously, injured teachers and school employees should not be left to navigate recovery alone, and every student deserves to learn in a classroom where safety is protected.

We appreciate Representative Candace Newell, the legislators who supported this bill, and the teachers and school employees who shared difficult personal experiences so lawmakers could understand why this protection was needed.

05/20/2026

Louisiana teachers and school employees should not face a reduction in pay while the state has resources available to prevent it.

The Revenue Stabilization Trust Fund exists to help Louisiana navigate critical financial needs, and protecting educator pay should be a priority. Teachers and support staff have continued showing up for students every single day, and lawmakers must do the same for them.

Take action today and tell legislators to use Revenue Stabilization Trust Fund dollars to prevent a pay cut for teachers and school employees.

Sign the letter here:

(https://actionnetwork.org/letters/tell-legislators-use-the-revenue-stabilization-trust-fund-money-to-prevent-a-pay-cut)

Our educators, students, and schools are worth the investment.

05/18/2026

Do not cut educator pay. Restore the stipend or make it permanent by June 1.

Teachers and school employees showed up to work this morning for students, just as they have always done and just as they will continue to do.

They are doing their jobs.

CA 3 was not a referendum on educators. LFT supported CA 3 after polling our membership because it was the only available path presented to make the current teacher and school employee stipend permanent and prevent a pay cut.

Governor Landry also urged voters to support CA 3 as a way to provide a permanent teacher and school employee pay raise, not another temporary stipend. He recognized that teachers have stood by Louisiana through hurricanes, epidemics, and years of uncertainty.

That commitment should not disappear because voters rejected the mechanism.

CA 3 was complicated. Many voters, including some educators, had concerns about the funding mechanism, the use of constitutionally dedicated education funds, and the confusion surrounding the amendment.

Louisiana’s recent education gains did not happen by accident, and they were not produced by policy alone. They happened because teachers and school employees showed up every day, helped students recover from COVID learning loss, implemented new literacy and numeracy requirements, completed professional development, adapted to new evaluation rubrics, managed increased data and assessment demands, and kept schools running despite rising workloads and discipline challenges.

State leaders can praise the rankings, but they cannot ignore the people who made those rankings possible.

If state leaders are going to celebrate Louisiana’s education gains, the budget should reflect that.

A budget is a statement of priorities. Louisiana continues to protect approximately $7.3 billion in tax incentives while teachers and support staff are facing a pay cut.

Louisiana cannot claim to be serious about attracting businesses that provide livable-wage jobs while cutting the pay of the certified, experienced teachers and school employees who prepare the educated workforce those businesses need.

The legislative session ends June 1. If lawmakers leave Baton Rouge without restoring the stipend or making it permanent, teachers and support staff will receive a pay cut.

No budget should leave the Capitol if it cuts educator pay.

Restore the stipend or make it permanent by June 1.

05/12/2026

Please take a minute to read and click!

05/07/2026

Today, HB 818 has officially passed off the LA. House Floor and is now headed to the Senate.

This legislation increases transparency around student testing and assessment requirements in Louisiana schools.

Beginning with the 2026-2027 school year, the bill would require the Louisiana Department of Education and local school systems to publicly post assessment schedules, including state mandated tests and locally required benchmark assessments.

Parents would also have the right to receive this information and be notified of changes.

The bill also requires school systems to review local testing practices annually and report whether assessments are duplicative, necessary, or should be reduced.

Now the bill moves to the Senate for consideration.

We will continue monitoring the legislation and advocating for policies that promote transparency, reduce unnecessary testing burdens, and support students and educators.

Roll called on final passage
Yeas 98, Nays 0

04/30/2026

04/28/2026

Today, we celebrate the dedicated school bus drivers who safely transport millions of students to and from school each day.

They play a vital role in our education system, ensuring students arrive safely, on time, and ready to learn.

On School Bus Driver Appreciation Day, the TangipahoaFederation of Teachers and School Employees and the Louisiana Federation of Teachers and School Employees proudly thank these hardworking professionals for their commitment, patience, and care.

Your work makes a difference in the lives of students, families, and communities across Louisiana.

Thank you for all you do to keep our children safe every single day! 🚌💙