New Budget, With Questions
The release of Gov. Jeff Landry’s budget proposal to lawmakers came with a cloud of uncertainty. A combination of unanswered questions about state and federal financing sources is driving unpredictability for piecing together the spending plans for the 2025-26 fiscal year that begins July 1.
Fewer Teachers Leaving Louisiana Schools
The ranks of Louisiana’s K-12 public school teachers grew for a second consecutive year. Traditional and charter public schools gained 843 teachers and set a new record of 52,808 educators during the 2023-24 school year.
TOPS Participation & Demographics
The number of students receiving free college tuition through Louisiana’s TOPS program has dropped for the third consecutive year, most likely an effect of declining college enrollment. Part 3 of a three-part series looking at public K-12 education and higher education in Louisiana.
Federal Student Aid
The rate of Louisiana high school seniors applying for college financial aid fell over the last year, fueling worries about the state’s shrinking higher education-bound population. Part 2 of a three-part series looking at public K-12 education and higher education in Louisiana.
Public School Enrollment & Demographics
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.
Budget Debate Focuses on Education
The state budget crafted by the Louisiana House steers new money to public school programs at the expense of early childhood education, while maintaining the governor’s push to grow spending on state prisons and police.
Expanding School Choice
Education savings accounts are the newest, most expansive evolution of school choice programs in the United States, already adopted by several states and under consideration in many others, including Louisiana. The programs promise to revolutionize how K-12 education is structured, steering public tax dollars to private educational options for students.