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With the start of the new school year, students are returning to emptier classrooms as the total enrollment in Louisiana’s public schools declines to its lowest level in 16 years. Part 1 of a three-part series looking at public K-12 education and higher education in Louisiana.
Nearly one in five people in Louisiana, about 867,000 low-income residents on average each month, received financial food aid across the last year through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, according to the latest data available from the Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services.
Mental illnesses and other mental health problems have worsened in Louisiana and across the nation in recent years, according to federal data tracking the issue. COVID-19 only compounded the problem, causing social isolation, anxiety and financial hardship.
With the end of Gov. John Bel Edwards’s second term, Louisiana voters head back to the polls Saturday for a gubernatorial primary that is expected to see lower turnout than some of the state’s prior governor’s elections over the last 20 years.
High auto insurance premiums have remained a pressing issue in Louisiana for decades. A report by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners shows that Louisiana held the most expensive combined average premium in the nation from 2015 to 2020. In fact, Louisiana has ranked among the top three highest states since 2006.
While last year’s Hurricane Ian devastated Florida and the Carolinas, Louisiana experienced a quiet hurricane season in 2022. This year, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicts “near normal” hurricane activity in the Atlantic for the season that started June 1 and will end November 30.
Part 4 of a four-part series addressing public employee compensation in Louisiana.
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