(Baton Rouge – February 9, 2010) Instead of imposing even more top-down regulations that suggest little concern for the perspective or expertise of classroom educators, Gov. Bobby Jindal should work with educators as he crafts his legislative agenda for the coming session, Louisiana Federation of Teachers President Steve Monaghan said today.

Big changes are coming to public education. Will teachers guide those changes, or stand on the sidelines watching?

The $247.9 million budget shortfall predicted for the coming year could easily be covered by proceeds from the state’s Tax Amnesty Program if Gov. Bobby Jindal were not so focused on further cuts to higher education and health care.

(December 21, 2009) The state’s largest teacher union intends to be fully engaged in how a new federal education program’s funds will be used in Louisiana’s classrooms, Louisiana Federation of Teachers President Steve Monaghan said today.

Like the mythological phoenix rising from the ashes, attacks on our public retirement systems are once again making news. At the request of Speaker of the House Jim Tucker (R-Terrytown), the joint Senate and House Committees on Retirement are meeting to discuss “reforming” the retirement incomes of teachers, school employees and other public servants.

Official complaints filed over mistreatment of teachers

 (Baton Rouge – October 1, 2009) A company that recruited foreign teachers to work in Louisiana schools is guilty of cheating those teachers out of thousands of dollars and holding them in virtual servitude, according to complaints presented to the Louisiana Federation of Teachers by international educators.

Study says virtual charters are suspect for both financial and student performance reasons.

(Baton Rouge – September 16, 2009) Considering the problems plaguing virtual or cyber schools in other states, Louisiana should proceed carefully before granting charters to schools that exist mainly on the Internet, Louisiana Federation of Teachers President Steve Monaghan said today.

Blue Ribbon consultant:  “Getting a degree is not related to student achievement.”

(Baton Rouge – September 12, 2009) If attracting and keeping the best teachers in our public schools is the goal of the state’s Blue Ribbon Commission for Educational Excellence, some information given to the panel on Thursday would send our state in the wrong direction, according to the Louisiana Federation of Teachers.

(Baton Rouge – June 3, 2009) By a five vote margin, the House of Representatives on Tuesday turned down a bill that, while touted as school board reform, was widely opposed by educators because it would have eroded a system of checks-and-balances between school boards and school superintendents.