As Louisiana's next legislative session starts Monday, education bills already filed by lawmakers run the gamut from changing how schools are funded to making the ACT a graduation requirement instead of end-of-course exams and overhauling eligibility requirements for TOPS college scholarships.
Perhaps on the table is teacher pay.
Last month, voters overwhelmingly rejected a jam-packed constitutional amendment championed by Gov. Jeff Landry that would have, alongside several other tax policy changes, provided funding for teacher pay increases. Now, some lawmakers are proposing bills that would attempt again to revise the constitution in order to fund teacher pay raises.
With the session set to run through June 12, here are some of key education bills to watch.
Teachers
: Requires teachers to undergo training in how to teach numeracy.
: Prohibits the inclusion of certain student test scores in teacher evaluations.
: Requires school systems to provide a salary increase for teachers and other school employees using savings that stem from the payment of debts related to the Teachers’ Retirement System of Louisiana.
Students
: Requires public schools to offer a mental health assessment to students in grades 4-12 at the beginning of each school year.
: Prohibits the serving and selling of ultra-processed foods in public schools.
: Requires public schools to offer annual mental health screenings for students and notify parents of available resources if students need them.
: Expands student eligibility for participation in the Reading Enrichment and Academic Deliverables (READ) program, a state-funded program that provides free books and other literacy materials for Louisiana kids.
: Requires information about pregnancy, adoption and neonatal care to be posted at health centers in public high schools and public colleges and universities.
: Authorizes nonpublic school students to participate in public school activities.
Testing and curriculum
: Requires students to attain a minimum ACT score to graduate high school while prohibiting state-administered, end-of-course exams.
: Adds accountability measures to the LA GATOR program, the state’s new school voucher program.
: Requires schools to use a nationally recognized assessment in place of Louisiana’s LEAP test for the purpose of school and district accountability.
: Requires high schoolers to take a financial literacy course that includes instruction on how to apply for scholarships, grants and other financial opportunities to pay for postsecondary education.
: Adds computer science as a high school graduation requirement.
: Establishes a pilot program, called Farm-Ed, that allows for the integration of controlled environment grow chambers and related curriculum in K-12 classrooms.
: Requires parental access to instructional materials in public schools.
TOPS scholarships
: Revises initial academic eligibility requirements for a TOPS-Tech award. Students are eligible if they meet at least two of three requirements.
: Revises award amounts for the TOPS program and adds an award category for students with an ACT score of 31 or above.
: Authorizes students who qualify for a TOPS award but graduate from an out-of-state college to apply unused award amounts to medical or dental school in Louisiana. Requires repayment unless certain conditions are met.
: Lowers the ACT score required for initial qualification for a TOPS award for students who complete approved home study programs.
Finance
: Requires districts to submit quarterly attendance data to determine how much state funding they receive.
Discipline
: Authorizes public school staff to conduct a weapons search of students when they enter a school campus.
: Updates rules for secluding or physically restraining students with disabilities.
: Updates penalties for students in grades 6-12 found in possession of marijuana or any chemical derivative.
: Allows for 14 separate updates to the School Employee Bill of Rights.
Higher education
: Requires students who are members of certain organizations at a postsecondary institution to complete an anti-hazing course.
: Transfers the University of New Orleans to the Louisiana State University system.Â
: Requires a cap on athletic scholarships awarded to citizens of a foreign country and places restrictions on international intercollegiate athletes and athletic scholarships.
