News
The May Newsletter

PPE FOR LFT MEMBERS
DON’T FORFEIT OUR FUTURE: PASS THE HEROES ACT
Teacher Appreciation Week 2020

Today is the beginning of Teacher Appreciation Week!
Free Meals During COVID-19 School Closures

The Louisiana Department of Education compiled this list and will continue to update it as more information becomes available.
Schools Close Due to Coronavirus COVID-19

On Friday, Governor John Bel Edwards proclaimed that all public schools in the state shall close beginning Monday, March 16th until Monday, April 13th and any gatherings of more than 250 people shall halt. Additionally, he has suspended the requirement for 63,720 instructional minutes per year.
Coronavirus Update from AFT President Randi Weingarten

The AFT has done numerous information sessions since the coronavirus emerged, and we’ll do the largest telephone town hall to date this Saturday at 1 p.m. Central. We will highlight what we know, provide our recommendations and answer your questions. You can sign up for the town hall here. In order to join the call, you must R.S.V.P. by midnight on Friday.
BESE Approves MFP & More

In March, BESE met to approve an MFP proposal with $80 million dollars in additional funding. They also examined the Jump Start program, talked about the process to hire John White's replacement and more.
Public Schools Week 2020
This Lundi Gras we kick off National Public Schools Week!
Join LFT, AFT and the whole Learning First Alliance to celebrate and honor our nation’s public schools.
Nine out of 10 students in the United States attend public schools, so let’s call attention to the great work being done to give our nation’s children every opportunity to grow and succeed.
The January Newsletter
After last year’s contentious elections, January brought our new and old representatives together to begin their work on behalf of the Louisiana voters. Governor Edwards was sworn in at a ceremony on the steps of the Capitol on January 13th. On that same day the House and Senate convened an organizational session.
BESE in January 2020

January 2020 means a new Board of Elementary and Secondary Education. Last year, each seat was up for re-election and while most members retained their seat on the board, we have four new faces: Dr. Belinda Davis, Preston Castille, Ashley Ellis, and Ronnie Morris.
Attendance Report:
Every member of the board attended the special meeting on January 16th.
Ms. Boffy was absent from all the committee meetings on January 28th and the full board meeting on January 29th
Ms. Ellis was absent from the three committee meetings on January 28th (the School Innovation and Turnaround Committee, the Administration and Finance Committee, and the Policy Forum Committee meeting) and the full board meeting on January 29th.