News

How Is Your School After Ida?

Let Us Know. You have recently received communication from the district regarding some of the school buildings requiring minor repairs and attention. While some may view these repairs as minor, we understand that many of you are seeing extensive damage that would be a safety concern or a hinderance to learning. MORE

September Update: After Hurricane Ida

JFT, along with other locals affected by Hurricane Ida, will work with our state affiliate, the Louisiana Federation of Teachers, on a comprehensive plan to request a waiver of instructional minutes for this school year, as many are in the process of rebuilding their homes and lives. We believe, first and foremost, an emphasis should be placed on the social emotional needs of our students and their families in order for any type of instruction to be effective. MORE

JFT Update: August 16, 2021

Back to School Survey We need to hear from you! Please take a few minutes to fill out a brief survey regarding the start of school: Student Debt Clinic *Do you or a family member have student loan debt? *Are you struggling to make monthly payments or worrying about student loans following you throughout your life? MORE

Welcome Back to a New School Year!

We want to welcome back all employees of Jefferson Parish! It felt like the summer would never come, and now we are preparing for a new school year! We hope you spent some quality time with family and friends for some much-needed rest and rejuvenation after the most difficult year in living history. We have been hard at work over the summer, negotiating a Collective Bargaining Agreement that is guaranteed for the next 3 years, with language that has been added for the first time in six years. We are also excited to present several new and returning JFT member committees. MORE

The Summer Newsletter

BACK TO SCHOOL It’s hard to believe that summer is already ending. Many districts had expanded summer school options for students who struggled through the pandemic-year. This left many educators with even less time to recuperate from an especially exhausting year. But as always, the prospect of a new school year brings excitement and opportunity. LFT staff are preparing to greet new and returning educators at orientations and back to school events all over the state. If you are already a member of the Federation, make sure to check in with your Local representatives at these events so that you can get all the most up-to-date information about your membership and back-to-school goodies. If you aren’t already a member of the Federation, you’re missing out. Make sure to look for us at your orientation to learn more about all that membership has to offer! MORE

New CBA Ratified by JFT Membership

On Wednesday, July 14, 2021, JFT members met via Zoom to consider updates (the first in six years) to the Collective Bargaining Agreement, negotiated by JFT's bargaining team and the district. After discussion of the changes and a long question and answer period, members voted to ratify the agreement.

Next, the agreement must be approved by the Jefferson Parish School Board. Both JFT and the Board must approve the agreement before it can go into effect. The School Board has scheduled a Special Meeting to consider and vote on the updated agreement. Please join us at the Board meeting to show

Collective Bargaining Update

A big thank you to those who provided input on the collective bargaining survey, sent prior to the start of negotiations. Your responses were critical in directing the bargaining conversation.

As reported in the last update, the issues ranked in order of importance were: Evaluations, Class Size, Curriculum, Testing, Lesson Plans, Professional Development, and Duty.

Negotiations have been productive, with each party listening in good faith. Talks are, ongoing, therefore, it is necessary to extend the current agreement until negotiations are complete. A special session board meeting will be held on June 29, 2021 at 9am to vote on extending the collective bargaining agreement until Friday, July 30, 2021. Following that extension, we are looking forward to continuing negotiations around the priorities that have been set by you, the members of JFT.

JFT General Membership Meeting

The last General Membership Meeting of this school year will take place on Tuesday, May 25, 2021 at 5PM via Zoom.

Click here to register for the meeting. Please complete your registration before 8 A.M. on Monday, May 24th.

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.

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...