By Greg LaRose | Editor-in-Chief
“It will impact programs. It will impact processes. These are not idle dollars.”
— St. Charles Parish School Superintendent Ken Oertling on Gov. Jeff Landry’s plan to use school districts operating funds to preserve a teacher pay stipend. Read more in today’s lead story.
Gov. Jeff Landry has proposed moving $168 million in school district operating funds to preserve teacher pay stipends next school year. (Hilary Scheinuk/The Advocate, Pool)
By Julie O’Donoghue
A wide range of public education leaders and advocates, representing traditional systems and charters, expressed frustration with Gov. Jeff Landry’s plan to shift $168 million from K-12 school operations to another round of teacher pay stipends. The overall reduction in school funding will affect classroom instruction and could lead to layoffs, particularly in rural areas with less financial reserves, they said.
A voter walks into a polling location at the Zachary Public Library for the May 16, 2026, election. (Wes Muller/LAI)
By Wes Muller
New Louisiana laws will establish stricter voter identification protocols and require election officials send every voter’s personal information to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Voting rights advocates worry the changes will impact residents who are less likely to carry a photo ID or driver’s license.
The Sewerage and Water Board’s Carrollton plant in New Orleans, pictured Aug. 18, 2022. (Greg LaRose/LAI)
By Elise Plunk
Local advocates are celebrating the approval of legislation aimed at addressing New Orleans’ long-standing problem of lead contamination in its drinking water, but voters statewide will need to approve the plan in the November election.
By Robbie Sequeira
A survey by the Center for Democracy & Technology showed that a large majority of teachers reported using AI in their classroom during the 2024-25 school year, while the same rate of students said they’d used AI for either personal or school-related reasons. But only about half of teachers and students reported that they received some training or information about AI from someone at their school, and few received training or information on risks of AI use.
COMMENTARY
By Chad Hanks
I don’t rely on Facebook rumors to make decisions about my land. I do my own research. And when it comes to carbon capture, what I’ve found doesn’t match the fear being pushed online.
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