Louisiana

(Louisiana, Department of Education. Louisiana Believes Logo)

Vaishali Miriyagalla

Data Collection

Demographics:

United States Census Bureau:

Total K-12 student population: 797,855
Total K-12 in public school: 664,139 (83.2%)
Total K-12 in private school: 133,716 (16.8%)

Race/Ethnicity (USCB):

White Black Native Asian Hispanic or Latino
K-12 436,471 301,381 6,718 13,397 54,746
percent 54.71% 37.78% 0.84% 1.68% 6.86%

Poverty Rates (USCB):

  • K-12 below poverty level: 208,572 (27%)
  • State below poverty level: 18.7%
  • K-12 at/above poverty level: 576,804 (73%)
  • State at/above poverty level: 81.3%
  • A higher percent of K-12 students are below poverty level than people statewide.

Free-Reduced Price Lunch (FRP) in Public Schools (NCES, “Digest of Education Statistics,” table 204.10):  

2000-1 2010-11 2018-9
US 38.3% 48.1% 52.3%
LA 58.4% 66.2% 53.5%

English Language Learners (ELL) in Public Schools (NCES, “Digest of Education Statistics,” table 204.20): 

2000 2010 2018
US 8.1% 9.2% 10.2%
LA 1.4% 1.6% 3.7%
  • The percent of English Language Learners in LA has increased in the past 20 years but remains lower than the national average.
A lesson on reading comprehension at Red River Elementary (Juhasz)

Public 4-year Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate (ACGR) (NCES, “Digest of Education Statistics,” table 219.46):   

2018-9  White Black Hispanic Asian/PI Native Multi
US 86% 89% 80% 82% 93% 74% —
LA 80% 86% 76% 67% 89% 88% 84%
disabilities ELL economically
disadvantaged		 homeless foster
US 68% 69% 80% — —
LA 65% 41% 74% 66% 53%

Public Schools by Type & Title I Funding (NCES, “Common Core of Data,” table 3): 

Regular 1,363
Special Education  29
Career/Technical School 10
Alternative 6
Charter 146
Magnet 41
Title I Funds (35% low income) 1,209 (88.7%)
Title I School (40% low income) 1,185 (86.7%)
Total 1,363
  • US title I funds (35% LI): 71.45%
  • US title I schools (40% LI): 58.6%

Charters:

Charter Schools as percent of public schools (NCES, “Digest of Education Statistics,” table 216.90) :

2000-1 2010-11 2018-9
US 2.1% 5.3% 7.5%
LA 1.2% 5.3% 11.4%
  • The percent of charters has grown substantially in Louisiana, even more than nationwide.

Students Served in Charters (as percent of total enrollment in public schools): 

2000-1 2010-11 2018-9
US 1.0% 3.6% 6.5%
LA 0.4% 4.2% 12.0%
  • There are significantly more Louisiana students in charters today than 20 years ago.
  • There is a higher percent of charter enrollment in Louisiana than nationwide.
  • They serve proportionally more students than public schools. This differs from the nationwide average where each charter serves proportionally fewer students.
  • One possible explanation for is that the Public School System in New Orleans, the largest urban region, is exclusively charter schools (Louisiana, Dept..,  “Recovery…”).
Warren Easton Charter School in New Orleans had the highest number of applicants for 9th graders in 2022 (Grunfield)

Expenditures/Budget

Total State Expenditures (2017-18): $8,626,693
         (NCES, “Digest of Education Statistics,” table 236.25)

Revenue (NCES, “Digest of Education Statistics,” table 236.65):

LA USA
public school revenue receipt
per student		 13,578 15,673
local revenue as a percentage
of total revenue receipts		 46.7% 45.6%
state revenue as percentage
of total revenue receipts (18-19)		 42.2% 46.7%
federal revenue as percentage
of total revenue receipt (18-19)		 12.3% 7.5%
  • Louisiana Public Schools receive less funding than the national average, and a larger percent comes from federal funding (likely due to the high percent of Title I schools).

Average Per Pupil Expenditure is $12,063; the national average is $13,118 (NCES, “Digest of Education Statistics,” table 236.65). 

High/Low Per Pupil Expenditure Nov. 2020 (Office…):

  • Highest 2: $122,920 & $122,656 per pupil
    • both are alternative high schools run by the Office of Juvenile Justice
    • The two other alternative high schools spend $14,853 & 13,726 per pupil (close to the state average).
  • Lowest 2: $3,190 & $3,221
    • both are virtual schools
    • The two other virtual schools spend $13,519 & $8,907 (closer to the state average). 

Teachers & Staff

Average Class Size 2017-8 (NCES, “National Teacher and Principal Survey”): 

Primary Middle High
US 26.2 24.9 23.3
LA 25.5 20.4 20.9
  • The average class size in Louisiana is smaller than the national average at all grade levels.

Teacher Demographics 2011-12 (NCES, “Digest of Education Statistics,” table 209.30): 

LA US
Total # of Teachers (by thousand) 44.5 3385.2
< Bachelors 3.5% 3.8%
Bachelors 61.9% 39.9%
Masters 27.0% 47.7%
Specialist/Doctorate 7.6% 8.7%
< 3 years of experience 8.6% 9.0%
3-9 years of experience 31.2% 33.3%
10-20 years of experience 33.4% 36.4%
> 20 years of experience 26.8% 21.3%
Average Elementary Class Size 19.0 21.2
Average Secondary Class Size 23.4 26.8
  • More teachers have only a Bachelors and fewer have a Masters than the national average.
  • Additionally, in the past ten years, elementary class sizes have increased!

Requirements & Training (NCES, “Digest of Education Statistics,” table 234.50):

  • basic skills exam
  • a subject matter exam
  • a knowledge of teaching exam
  • an assessment of teaching performance 

Salaries (National Education Association):  

LA US
average staff salary (19-20) $56,435 $66,496
average teacher salary (19-20) $51,566 $64,133
  • The average Lousiana teachers or staff is paid less in Louisiana than the national average.
  • 8.38% decrease in the inflation adjusted average teacher salary in public schools in LA (from 2011-2 to 2020-1) 
    • 0.88% increase in US
  •  5.69% decrease in the inflation adjusted average staff salary in public schools in LA (from 2011-2 to 2020-1) 
    • 1.77% increase in US

Merit Pay (Louisiana, Dept…, “Act 1…”):  

  • Previously, Merit Pay was based on seniority and academic credentials.
  • Recently it switched to Compensation for “Effective Educators” (teachers who improve student achievement the most).
  • How is “effectiveness” measured?? 
    • 50% based on student learning
      • if a subject tested by state standardized exam, use student test scores
    • 50% based on classroom observations by his or her principal, other teachers/educators in district
  • If a teacher categorized as ineffective, they not eligible to salary increase.
  • Compensation is based on individual teacher’s evaluation, not the performance of entire school or district. 

Teacher Unions:

East Baton Rouge Covid Protest (Canicosa)
  • Louisiana Federation of Teachers (LFT) – a chapter of AFT (American Federation of Teachers) 
    • President Larry Carter 
    • received charter from AFT in 1965 (“About Us”)
    • advocating for teacher raises (“The January Edition”)
      • governor proposed $1,500 raise for teachers and $750 raise for employees, but not enough
    •  pushing back against over-prescriptive curriculums (“The January Edition”)
    • parents support their teachers (“The January Edition”)
  • Louisiana Association of Educators (LAE) 
    • 18,000 members: teachers, paraprofessionals, counselors, psychologists, librarians, food service workers, school secretaries, custodians, bus drivers, and other non-supervisory certificated personnel (“About LAE…”)
    • Advocate for increased funding, reopening schools safely, fair pay & benefits (healthcare coverage), inclusive workspaces (“Fair Pay & Benefits”)
    • Oppose privatization because it harms employees (“Advocating for Change”)

“Louisiana invested $1 million in state’s largest healthcare provider to provide all public school educators with access to free virtual teletherapy sessions” (McGrath).

Testing, Accountability & Curriculum: 

Test Scores (“State Performance…”):  

4th grade (2019) 8th grade 
Mathematics: LA significantly lower than National average

– 73% meeting basic

– 29% proficient

 significantly lower than National average

– 61% meeting basic

– 23% proficient
Mathematics: US – 80% meeting basic

– 40% proficient

 – 68% meeting basic

– 33% proficient
Reading: LA significantly lower than national average

– 55% meeting basic

– 26% proficient

 significantly lower than national average

– 68% meeting basic

– 27% proficient
Reading: US – 65% meeting basic

– 34% proficient

 – 72% meeting basic

– 32% proficient
Writing: LA significantly lower than national average

– 80% meeting basic

– 14% proficient

 (2007): significantly lower than National average

– 88% meeting basic

– 17% proficient
Writing: US – 85% meeting basic

– 27% proficient

 – 87% meeting basic

– 31% proficient

4th Grade Math Scores (“NAEP…”):  

  • no significant difference between rural, town suburb, city 
  • no significant difference between schools with FRP and not 
  • significantly lower scores for Hispanic and Black than White (in LA and USA)
  • significantly lower scores for students with FRP (in LA & USA)

School Requirements (“Louisiana State Regulations”):

  • prior to 2009: 4 units of English, 3 Math, 3 science, 3 ss, 2 units of health, 2 units of PE, 8 units of electives (max 4 credits of religion)
  • Core 4 Curriculum (began 2009-10): 4 units of math, science, english, ss; 2 units of health and PE, 2 units of foreign language/speech, one unit of art, 3 units of electives
  • operate 180 days for 330 mins of instruction per day 
  • max of 35 students in one class except for PE, art, music, etc
  • immunization requirements
  • must provide free transportation for nonpublic school students attending approved schools 
  • any approved nonpublic school may award a school diploma:
    • pass 3 End-of-Course Tests: English II or III, Algebra 1 or geometry, biology or American history
  • at least 2 days of professional development

Common Core Standard adopted in 2013-14 (“Standards…”)

Accoding to Next Generation Science Standards, “Louisiana’s ESSA plan specifies Title I funds will support, in part, career and technical education courses and advanced courses such as dual enrollment. The plan also suggests districts could use Title IV, Part B funds to support an afterschool STEM program” (“Leveraging ESSA…”)

LSU STEM Program at Liberty High School (Hahne)

Science Standards from Next Generation Science Standards (“The State…”):

  • LA has implemented Framework (a standard officially known as “A Framework for K-12 Science Education”) but has not adopted NGSS (Next Generation Science Standard) 
  • The State Science Assessment at the end of the academic year are used as an accountability system for elementary, middle and high schools

Recovery School District (RSD): program launched in 2003 that targets low performance schools (rated D/F) and help improve them (Louisiana, Dept….)  

School Choice:

Public School Choice (“Open Enrollment…”): 

  • Mandatory Open Enrollment: If currently attending a school with a performance letter grade of D or F, parents/guardians can enroll their child in another public school (letter grade A, B, or C) in district (intradistrict) or out of district (interdistrict), assuming it has enough space.
  • Voluntary Open Enrollment: 
    • Intradistrict: If current school becomes an RSD, board may allow enrollment in other public schools in district.
    • Interdistrict: At the discretion of local boards, students may attend public schools of adjoining parishes. If assigned school is over an hour of commute, parents may request a different public school in a closer district.

Private School Funding Programs (“School Choice in America…”):  

  • Only 1.0% of students participate into one of Louisiana’s private educational options
  • Elementary & Secondary School Tuition Deduction: 2008 (“Elementary…”): 
    • Individual Tax Credit/Deduction 
    • 71,468 participating tax-payers in 2019 (decreasing yearly, 66,671 participants in 2020) 
    • 55% participation rate 
    • 129,206 eligible (16% eligibility rate): 
      • all K-12 LA private school students are eligible: any taxpayer has has private school expenses 
    • deduct up to $5,000 when filing taxes 
  •  School Choice Program for Certain Students with Exceptionalities: 2010-11 (“School Choice Program…”):  
    • Voucher
    • 453 participants
    • 6% eligible: reside in parish of 190,000+ residents, qualify for special needs 
    • average funding: $2,491 (20% public funding)
    • 24 schools
  •  Student Scholarships for Educational Excellence Program: 2008 (“Student Scholarship…”):  
    • Voucher
    • 6,405 participants
    • 32% eligible: household income no more than 250% above poverty line, attended public school designated as C,D,F in previous year/attending K/enrolled in a public school at the Recovery School District
    • average funding: $6,325 (50% public funding)
    • 131 schools
  •  Tuition Donation Credit Program: 2012 (“Tuition…”): 
    • Tax-Credit Scholarship
    • prior year in public school (or entering K)
    • 2,215 participants
    • 217,373 eligible (46% eligibility rate)
      • household income less than 250% of federal poverty line ($66,250 in ‘21)
    • average funding: $4,209 
    • 156 schools

Works Cited:

Canicosa, JC. Louisiana Illuminator, 22 Jul 2021, lailluminator.com/briefs/louisiana-teachers-union-stages-sickout-demands-classes-go-virtual/. Accessed 8 May 2022. 

Common Core Standards Initiative  “Standards in Your State.” www.corestandards.org /standards-in-your-state. Accessed 8 May 2022. 

“Elementary and Secondary School Tuition Deduction.” EdChoice, www.edchoice.org/school-choice/programs/louisiana-elementary-and-secondary-school-tuition-deduction/. Accessed 8 May 2022.   

Grunfield, David. Nola.com, 18 Apr. 2022, www.nola.com/news /education/article _498a8602-bc35-11ec-b916-b71cf20b156c.html. Accessed 8 May 2022.

Hahne, Elsa. Louisiana State University, 5 Apr. 2021, https://www.lsu.edu/research/news/2021/0405-brbytes-pathways.php. Accessed 8 May 2022. 

Juhasz, Aubri. WWNO, 8 Jun. 2021. www.wwno.org/education/ 2021-07-29/why-louisiana-schools-are-sticking-with-plans-for-in-person-classes-despite-recent-covid-spike. Accessed 8 May 2022. 

Louisiana Association of Educators. “About LAE: Purpose and Power in Community.” www.lae.org/about. Accessed 8 May 2022.  

Louisiana Association of Educators. “Advocating for Change.” www.lae.org/advocating-change. Accessed 8 May 2022. 

Louisiana Association of Educators. “Fair Pay & Benefits.” www.lae.org/your-rights-workplace/fair-pay-benefits. Accessed 8 May 2022. 

Louisiana, Department of Education. “Act I Compensation Requirements FAQs.” www.louisianabelieves.com/docs/ teaching/faq—compensation-requirements.pdf?sfvrsn=856ba19_2. Accessed 8 May 2022. 

Louisiana, Department of Education. Louisiana Believes Logo. Web. www.louisianabelieves.com, 8 May 2022.

Louisiana, Department of Education. “Recovery School District.” www.louisianabelieves.com/docs/default-source/recovery-school-district/rsd-defined.pdf. Accessed 8 May 2022. 

Louisiana Federation of Teachers. “About Us.” la.aft.org/about-us. Accessed 6 May 2022. 

Louisiana Federation of Teachers. “The January Edition.” The LFT Newsletter, la.aft.org/news/january-edition. Accessed 8 May 2022. 

McGrath, Melissa. “4 Ways States Are Using American Rescue Plan Funds.” EdNote, 11 Feb 2022, ednote.ecs.org/4-ways-states-are-using-american-rescue-plan-funds/. Accessed 6 May 2022. 

“NAEP Main Data Explorer.” The Nation’s Report Card, www.nationsreportcard.gov/ndecore/landing. Accessed 8 May 2022.  

National Center for Education Statistics. “Common Core of Data.” table 3. Number of Operating Public Elementary and Secondary Schools by School Type, Charter, Magnet, Title I, Title I Schoolwide Status, and State or Jurisdiction: School Year 2019-20. nces.ed.gov/ccd/tables/201920_summary_3.asp. Accessed 8 May 2022. 

National Center for Education Statistics. “Digest of Education Statistics.” table 2019.30. Highest Degree Earned, years of Full-Time teaching Experience, and Average Class Size for Teachers in Public Elementary and Secondary Schools, By State: 2011-12.  nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d19/tables/dt19_209.30.asp. Accessed 8 May 2022.  

National Center for Education Statistics. “Digest of Education Statistics.” table 204.10. Number and percentage of public school students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, by state: Selected years, 2001-01 through 2018-19. nces.ed.gov/programs /digest/d20/tables/dt20_204.10.asp. Accessed 8 May 2022.

National Center for Education Statistics. “Digest of Education Statistics.” table 204.20. English language Learners (ELL) Students Enrolled in Public Elementary and Secondary Schools, bby State: Selected Years Fall 2000 through Fall 2018. nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d20/tables/dt20_204.20.asp. Accessed 8 May 2022.

National Center for Education Statistics. “Digest of Education Statistics.” table 216.90. Public Elementary and Secondary Charter Schools and Enrollment, and Charter Schools and Enrollment as a Percentage of Total Public Schools and Total Enrollment in Public Schools, by state: Selected Years, 2000-01 through 2018-19. nces.ed.gov/programs /digest/d20/tables/dt20_216.90.asp. Accessed 8 May 2022. 

National Center for Education Statistics. “Digest of Education Statistics.” table 219.46. Public High School 4-Year Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate (ACGR), by Selected Student Characteristics and State: 2010-11 through 2018-19. nces.ed.gov/programs/ digest/d20/tables/dt20_219.46.asp. Accessed 8 May 2022. 

National Center for Education Statistics. “Digest of Education Statistics.” table 234.50. Required testing For Initial Certification of Elementary and Secondary School teachers, by Type of Assessment and State: 2017 and 2018.  nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d19/tables/dt19_234.50.asp. Accessed 8 May 2022.

National Center for Education Statistics. “Digest of Education Statistics.” table 236.25. Current Expenditures for Public Elementary and Secondary Education, by State or Jurisdiction: Selected years, 1969-70 through 2017-18. nces.ed.gov/programs /digest/d20/tables/dt20_236.25.asp. Accessed 8 May 2022.  

National Center for Education Statistics. “Digest of Education Statistics.” table 236.65. Current Expenditures Per Pupil in Fall Enrollment in Public Elementary and Secondary Education, by State or Jurisdiction: Selected years, 1969-70 through 2017-18. nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d20/tables/dt20_236.65.asp. Accessed 8 May 2022.  

National Center for Education Statistics. “National Teacher and Principal Survey.” table. Average Class Size in Public Schools, by Class Type and State: 2017-18. nces.ed.gov/surveys/ntps/tables/ntps1718_fltable06_t1s.asp. Accessed 8 May 2022. 

National Education Association. “Rankings of the States 2020 and Estimates of School Statistics 2021.” Apr. 2021, www.nea.org/sites/default/files/2021-04/2021%20Rankings _and_Estimates_Report.pdf. Accessed 8 May 2022. 

Next Generation Science Standards. “Leveraging ESSA to Promote Science and STEM Education in States.” 26 June 2018, www.nextgenscience.org/leveraging-essa-promote- science-and-stem-education-states. Accessed 8 May 2022. 

Next Generation Science Standards. “The State of State Science Education Policy: Achieve’s 2018 Science Policy Survey.” May 2019, www.nextgenscience.org/sites /default/files/Science%20Policy%20Survey%20Report_Final.pdf. Accessed 8 May 2022. 

Office of Elementary & Secondary Education. “Per Pupil Expenditures: Louisiana.” 25 Nov. 2020. oese.ed.gov/ppe/louisiana/. Accessed 8 May 2022. 

“Open Enrollment Policies 2022: State Profile – Louisiana.” Education Commission of the States, Mar. 2022, reports.ecs.org/comparisons/view-by-state/590/LA. Accessed 8 May 2022. 

“School Choice in America Dashboard.” EdChoice, 1 Mar. 2021, www.edchoice.org/ school-choice-in-america-dashboard-scia/. Accessed 8 May 2022.  

“School Choice Program for Certain Students with Exceptionalities.” EdChoice, www.edchoice.org/school-choice/programs/louisiana-school-choice-program-for-certain-students-with-exceptionalities/. Accessed 8 May 2022. 

“State Performance Compared to the Nation.” The Nation’s Report Card, www.nationsreportcard.gov/profiles/stateprofile. Accessed 8 May 2022. 

“Student Scholarships for Educational Excellence Program.” EdChoice, www.edchoice.org/ school-choice/programs/louisiana-scholarship-program/. Accessed 8 May 2022. 

“Tuition Donation Credit Program.” EdChoice, www.edchoice.org/school-choice/ programs/louisiana-tuition-donation-credit-program/. Accessed 8 May 2022. 

United States Census Bureau. “American Community Survey 2019 1-Year Estimates.” table S1401 | School Enrollment. data.census.gov/cedsci/table?t=Education%3ASchool %20Enrollment&g=0400000US22&tid=ACSST1Y2019.S1401. Accessed 8 May 2022. 

US Department of Education. “Louisiana State Regulations.” 15 Nov. 2012, www2.ed.gov/about /inits/ed/non-public-education/regulation-map/louisiana.html. Accessed 8 May 2022. 

Analyzing the Trends:

Racial & Socioeconomic Inequity

Looking into the demographics provided by the US Census Bureau and the National Center for Education Statistics. it is immediately clear that there are significant racial and socioeconomic disparities. The graduation rate for white students in 2019 was 86% while only 76% for Black students and 67% for Hispanic students. The population of K-12 students is 55% white, 38% Black, 6.9% Hispanic. These numbers contrast with the overall population of Louisiana, which is 62% white, 32% Black, and 5.2% Hispanic. This subtle difference could impact the policies surrounding racial equality. The voting population and political representation is more white than the target K-12 population. In this same vein, there is a higher percentage of K-12 students below the poverty level (26.6%) than the Louisiana state percent below the poverty level (18.7%). 

According to a survey conducted by the Social Science Research Council, Louisiana had very high rates of “youth disconnection” before the pandemic, 4th highest in the nation. “Youth disconnection” is defined as the percent of 16-24 year olds who are not working or in school. Similar to graduation rates, Louisiana Black disconnection rates were 22.3% while White disconnection rates were only 12.2% (Lewis). Poverty directly contributes to disconnection rates and education inequity, especially as school choice expands in the state. The transition to virtual learning during the pandemic only worsened these inequities. 25% of families do not have access to the internet, increasing disparities. Yet, 99% of private school students have access to the internet. The state is working to distribute laptops and resources to its students, providing WiFi access in school parking lots, libraries, and other public facilities (Sentell). Yet, this is not enough to overcome the digital divide; the most vulnerable populations will continuously be disproportionately affected. 

Increased white flight from urban areas including New Orleans and Baton Rouge furthers this inequity. As parents enroll their children to private schools, move out of the inner cities, schools resegregate and wealth remains concentrated in certain school districts. Inequity persists in these urban areas where there is greater “residential segregation, school choice, and local control” (Juhasz). But racial disparities extend beyond urban areas: in rural communities, Black disconnection rates are as high as 45.6%. (Lewis). These rural schools are some of the poorest, where internet access is even more sparse. Racial disparities are a result of a significant history of racial discrimination. The highest predictor of graduation is parent education levels. Generations of Black Louisianians were prevented from getting an education under slavery and then Jim Crow. Redlining created extremely segregated parishes that have never been restructured. Youth incarceration also disproportionately affects Black youth, low-income families, and those with special needs or mental illnesses. 80% of incarcerated youths are Black while only about 30% of Louisiana youth are Black. Louisiana has one of the harshest Juvenile Justice Systems. At age 17, one is legally treated as an adult. Many are incarcerated for nonviolent crimes and there are limited opportunities after release: nearly half are re-incarcerated within 3 years (Louisiana Center…). This justice system directly works against the effort to provide an adequate and equal education for all children. 

From a more funding angle, we see inequity worsening in parishes with segregated housing. A predominantly white and extremely wealthy region of Baton Rouge known as St. George has been trying to separate into their city, forming a new school district. They feel that they should not pay into the larger school district and bus their children to the inner city schools while their tax dollars fund resources for other children. If they are successful, so many children in Baton Rouge will be displaced from their schools and the local expenditures will shrink substantially. Thus far, the St. George petition to separate has been unsuccessful and the mayor of Baton Rouge outwardly opposes this movement (Rojas). 

To address the inequity, there has recently been a push toward increasing access to pre-K. The pandemic highlighted the need for childcare and preschool is one of the best ways to give an extra leverage to students coming to elementary school. Currently, a higher percent of Black toddlers are enrolled in pre-K than white toddlers (Juhasz). 

Furthermore, in 2003, Louisiana started a program called Recovery School District (RSD). This targets schools that are consistently failing to meet standards. Failing schools need to submit and follow through an intervention plan or are placed under the guidance of the RSD to follow through with the intervention outlined by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). The RSD will take control if a school is rated F for 4 years in a row. These improvements have consistently been outsourced to private companies and charter programs. In Baton Rouge, the Baton Rouge Achievement Zone (BRAZ) works with the RSD to transition public schools into “high-performing,” career and college oriented charters. Currently, BRAZ charter schools serve over 4,000 students. (Lousiana, Dept…)

After Hurricane Katrina, the New Orleans school system suffered. Poverty, trauma, homelessness disadvantaged so many students. Many schools were categorized as “failing.” An overhaul by RSD was essential and the proposed solution was to implement charter schools. Gradually charters began to take over the district, forcing local schools to shut down due to low enrollment. Simultaneously, the district increased funding for the district to offset the increased administrative and transportation costs. This system has been referenced by pro-choice advocates as one of the more successful charter school systems, as student achievement (based on test scores, graduation rates, college attendance) has increased. But others question whether this improvement is related to the new charters (Strauss). Some argue that the New Orleans school system was extremely weak before Katrina, and any changes would have created improvement. Furthermore, poverty rates in New Orleans have decreased and overall school funds have increased separate from the transition to charters. It is difficult to discern the role charters play when these other factors are known to impact student success (Strauss). Unfortunately, even as $2 Billion has refurbished so much of the school system, there remains significant racial and socioeconomic disparities (Louisiana, Dep…). 

Works Cited: 

Teacher Pay & Shortages

Louisiana teachers and staff have experienced a pay decrease in the past decade. When adjusted for inflation teachers had 8.38% decrease in pay and staff had a 5.69% decrease in pay (NCES).  This is troubling especially in a state where the average staff salary is $10,000 below the national average and the average teachers salary is $12,500 below the national average (NEA). This was before the pandemic, which only made teaching more difficult. From the school year 2020 to 2021, there was a net decrease in the number of teachers and staff in public schools, even as schools undeniably had more work.  

As schools reopened in Fall 2020, the LFT and LAE fought to make a safe environment for teachers and students. Because cases were so high in July 2020, they wanted to delay opening schools for in-person education, an initiative that was largely unsuccessful (only New Orleans opted for virtual school until Labor Day). The unions also petitioned to establish strict guidelines over masking but were met with political resistance, unable to get mandatory masking in many parishes (Sentell). The large presence of private and charters further restricts the work of the unions. In January 2022, the struggle for teacher safety persisted. The case counts were as high as ever: the healthcare system was once again overwhelmed and ICUs remained filled. In East Baton Rouge, 760 faculty called in sick to protest the “district’s refusal to offer virtual learning.” Publicly, the district denied the AFT, NEA, and local union led ‘sickout.’ Similar cases have occurred throughout the South. (Connor)

These difficulties have undoubtedly contributed to the major teacher shortage we are seeing today. There are so many unfilled classrooms. The state already has a high percentage of teachers with only Bachelor’s degrees, 61.9%, compared to the 39.9% nationwide. Only 27.0% of teachers in LA have a master’s compared to the national percentage, 47.7% (NCES). As we have learned in this class, emergency teachers come through accelerated certification programs and pursue higher education while teaching. With the low salaries of teachers today, this process is increasingly difficult. The situation is extremely dire, and Louisiana has decided to turn to retired teachers. As of May 4, 2022, Louisiana Senate is working to pass a bill to “allow select educators to come out of retirement for double the current rate while retaining their full benefits. This means teachers can return to the classroom and earn 50% of their final average compensation” (Robinson). Many retired teachers loved their career for the students, but hated the pay, paperwork, and limited benefits. Because teacher shortages harm students, this bill may temporarily refill empty classrooms. But many argue it is merely a “Band-Aid” for the larger problems of teaching in Louisiana (Robinson). I personally wonder how this would affect teachers that are near retirement or even more experienced than those returning. They undoubtedly deserve a pay-raise as well. 

Works Cited: