Collective Bargaining Agreement
Collective Bargaining Agreement Between JFT & JPSB
You can view an electronic copy of the contract by clicking the link.
JFT Update: April 26
Does this language sound familiar? It should. This is language taken from the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), between the Jefferson Parish School Board and the Jefferson Federation of Teachers. On the surface, this appears harmless, but in actuality it is a method to circumvent and eventually discontinue the Collective Bargaining Agreement. This is not good faith bargaining.
JFT Election of Officers
Ballots for JFT officer elections must be received by the CPA firm not later than close of business this Thursday, April 29, 2021.
If you are eligible to vote, and you have not received your ballot or if you received your ballot but the return envelope was missing, please immediately notify the JFT Nominations and Elections Committee by sending an email to JFTelection@gmail.com. Arrangements will be made for eligible members to vote.
To be eligible to vote, you must have been a member in good standing of JFT since January 1, 2021.
JFT's Resolution Lead Directly to Senate Bill 35
In November 2020, Jefferson Federation of Teachers brought a resolution to the LFT Convention calling for a moratorium on teacher and student evaluation for the 2020-2021 school year. It also insists that SLTs be agreed upon by the evaluator and the educator and calls on BESE to apply for a waiver to ensure that suspension of these testing metrics wouldn’t negatively impact Louisiana’s eligibility for federal programs.
That resolution has directly led to SB 35. LFT worked with Senator Troy Carter to propose legislation that would hold teachers and students harmless for student growth measures for the 2020-21 school year.
Join us in supporting Senate Bill 35 and asking your legislators to support this important bill.
The Legislative Session is Underway!
The 2021 Legislative Session began Monday, April 12th and LFT is tracking nearly 50 bills, all with the potential to impact Louisiana teachers, school employees, and their students. Our primary areas of focus include legislation around teacher & student evaluations, ensuring a pay raise for teachers & school employees, protecting employees’ union rights and protecting public funding sources for public education.
Here’s what you need to know:
JFT Update: March 30, 2021
Know your Contract!
Article VIII of the Collective Bargaining Agreement states: “Teachers shall be reimbursed $100.00 per semester for teaching materials/registration fees for pre-approved conferences/workshops, including sales tax. A teacher who does not expend his allocation or any part thereof for the 1st semester shall be permitted to spend it during the 2nd semester. Reimbursement shall occur promptly but no later than 20 workdays following submission, provided...
The March Newsletter
PAY RAISES
On March 10th the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) passed their proposal for the minimum foundation program (MFP) – the funding formula for Louisiana’s K-12 schools.
During the meeting, the Board decided to heed the recommendation from the MFP task force: passing a proposal that calls for an $80 million dollar increase in the MFP. The task force had decided on a 1.375% increase (or $40 million) put into Level 1 of the MFP for general classroom funding and another 1.375% increase, put into level 3, for raises. That comes out to $400 increase for teachers and $200 for school employees, spread out over the entire year - a meager raise. LFT was one of only two organizations in the state to oppose this proposal, and has consistently pushed for a larger pay increase.
In an unprecedented turn of events, the letter that BESE sent to the legislature, which outlines their MFP proposal, made a slight, but important, deviation from the task forces' recommendation. Instead of putting $40 million into level three where it would necessarily go towards raises and and the supplementary retirement benefits, BESE directed that funding to level 4, which is the portion of the MFP that goes towards supplementary allocations for specific programs such as career training experiences, dual enrollment and enrichment courses, assistance with high cost special education services, and recruitment and employment of international associate teachers.
LFT has consistently called on the BESE and the legislature to match the pay increase seen in 2019: $1,000 increase for teachers and $500 for support personnel, at a minimum. This plan requires a $101 million increase to level 3 of the MFP, which is the portion of the school funding formula that provides for employee salaries.
As the MFP proceeds to the legislature for approval, LFT will continue to work towards a larger raise for teachers and school employees during this