Jackson Federation of Teachers and School Employees

LFT leaders named to Labor Hall of Fame

Two stalwart Louisiana Federation of Teachers leaders were named to the Louisiana AFL-CIO Hall of Fame in ceremonies held at the union’s annual convention on March 20. Mike Myers of Shreveport and the late Elsie Burkhalter of Slidell were among inductees at the ceremony.

(March 21, 2017) Proposed cuts to the U.S. Department of Education budget would hit Louisiana hard, costing teachers and students over $73 million, according to the Center for American Progress.

Educators’ basic right to join together in a labor union affirmed

New Orleans— The National Labor Relations Board has approved a settlement of a labor complaint filed against International High School of New Orleans, directing the charter school to pay two teachers fired during a union organizing drive

Standarized testing season is about to begin. And as history teaches us, it is inevitable that some educators around the state (and around the country) will be accused of testing improprieties.

Here is an essential guide from LFT General Counsel Larry Samuel to guard against mistakes, errors and stress during testing season.

(February 23, 2017) A legislative compromise that plugs the state’s $304 million budget hole with a combination of spending cuts and use of Rainy Day Fund money is the best deal that lawmakers could reach with Gov. John Bel Edwards, Louisiana Federation of Teachers President Larry Carter said today.

“The governor was able to keep his promise not to cut public education funds,” Carter said. “Faced with a range of bad choices and few good ones, this is the best deal that we could get.”

Prior to the start of the tense nine day special session, the governor said that he wanted to spend $119 million

(February 22, 2017) A new study that cites Louisiana’s strict teacher tenure law as the reason for an uptick in teacher retirements and resignations downplays other reasons why educators may have become disenchanted with the profession, according to Louisiana Federation of Teachers President Larry Carter.

“The 2012 law that gutted teacher tenure rights is certainly a factor in these decisions,” Carter said, “but the study ignored numerous other issues that have made teaching less attractive in recent years.”

The report from the Education Research Alliance of New Orleans, which is housed at

LFT leaders named to Labor Hall of Fame

Education cuts would hit Louisiana hard, LFT says

International High School Educators Win Pay for Illegal Firing

How to survive and thrive in testing season

Special session deal the best we could get, LFT says

Flawed study cites only tenure, ignores other reasons for teacher exodus