Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards: A champion for public education
By Amanda Litvinov and Amanda Menas
Since his election in 2016, Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards has championed a pro-public education agenda with policies that support students, educators, and local communities.
Edwards made education funding, including pay increases for teachers and school support staff, a top priority. He has pledged to protect public employee pensions such as the Teachers’ Retirement System of Louisiana. He’s a vocal critic of unaccountable charter schools, voucher programs, and school letter grades.
Here are three (of many) times that Gov. Edwards went to bat for public education:
Boosting Teacher Salaries and Supporting Professional Pay
The Louisiana Association of Educators (LAE) supported Gov. Edwards’ multi-year plan to increase teacher salaries to the Southern regional average. This year, they successfully advocated for and received the first round of increases.
The governor said that increasing teacher pay was his number one priority for the 2019 legislative session, acknowledging that many teachers struggle to provide for their own children even as they play a critical role in preparing all of our children for the future.
At the start of the 2019-2020 fiscal year, teacher salaries increased by $1,000 and support professionals received a salary boost of $500. And this is only the beginning.
The governor said the school employee pay raises were his number one priority for the 2019 legislative session. By prioritizing these raises, he showed educators from all walks of the profession that their work is valued.
“The fact that this was just a first step in a multi-year plan proves Gov. Edwards’ commitment to championing our public schools and students, because, after all, recruiting CONTINUE READING: Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards: A champion for public education - Education Votes
