The Minimum Foundation Program (MFP) proposal recommended by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) and now under consideration by lawmakers increases funding for the upcoming school year by $71.3 million—bringing the state’s total investment in K-12 education to over $4.3 billion.

The Louisiana House Education Committee held a rare oversight hearing today to consider a rule change championed by education swamp leaders to give graduation diplomas to high school students—even if they failed the required graduation exit exam. After nearly five hours of public testimony from outraged state leaders, parents, teachers, and policy experts, the committee voted 8-3 to overturn it.

Even though the issue has not received much local media attention, it is clear the school choice wave sweeping across America has finally reached Louisiana—and boy, has it landed in a big way!

Back in 1897, Mark Twain wrote, “In the first place, God made idiots. This was for practice. Then He made School Boards.” It seems not much has changed since Twain penned these infamous words, as public contempt for the elected bodies that oversee our government-run school systems is stronger than ever.

The Louisiana State Bond Commission approved over $3.6 billion in financing last Thursday for a long slate of capital outlay projects authorized by the Louisiana Legislature during their unprecedented spending spree in Swampland (the Baton Rouge Capitol) earlier this year. This included over $105 million in cash lines of credit and new long-term debt obligations to finance projects for a select group of well-connected non-profit groups.

It’s the dog days of summer, and many Louisianians have been focused on LSU baseball, the missing Titanic sub, and the 4th of July holiday. Here’s a rundown of key headlines that you may have missed.

The $51 billion bloated budget approved by the Louisiana Legislature in the final moments of the chaotic legislative session was wasteful, reckless, and irresponsible. This amount of spending does not come without consequences. Not only will it cost Louisiana families thousands of dollars and kill quality jobs, but it also sets up a future fiscal cliff that could lead to more taxes. We cannot afford to let that happen.

Lawmakers approved more than $51 billion in government spending in a flurry of chaotic votes that took place in the final moments of a two-month-long legislative session—but most of the members had absolutely no idea what they were voting on.

The Louisiana Legislature concluded an unprecedented legislative session in June, which pitted the governor, legislative leaders, and some state lawmakers against fiscal conservatives, Swampwatchers, and other reformers in an epic budget battle that will be remembered around the State Capitol for a long time—and not for the good it did.

In the end, limited government, fiscal responsibility, and taxpayers all lost big time.

Thousands of Louisiana seniors graduated high school this summer. They did so by staying in school and working hard to meet a modest set of graduation standards that have been in place for at least 30 years. Now BESE is considering action that will eviscerate the state’s existing graduation requirements and make those diplomas far less valuable.

Back in 2016 Governor John Bel Edwards bullied lawmakers into passing the largest tax increase in the U.S. At the time, Edwards described the state budget situation as “dire” and he predicted massive layoffs of state employees, catastrophic hospital closings and college campuses that would be forced to declare bankruptcy if the legislature didn’t pass his tax increases. Edwards even threatened to cancel LSU football if he didn’t get his way.

This Legislative Session, Governor John Bel Edwards and the state Senate are putting on a masterclass in excessive government spending. Now it is up to leaders in the conservative-led state House to put a stop to the madness and advance policies that will get Louisiana’s economy back on track.

Despite the serious and long-lasting consequences that extended school closures had on student achievement, many public-school districts are throwing recovery money into pet projects that have nothing to do with helping students recover from the pandemic.

Louisiana spends over $4 billion a year on K-12 education. Taxpayers and parents have a right to know where that money is going and how it is being spent—but the education swamp is pushing to ensure that never happens.

As the debate over public school spending transparency ramps up at the Louisiana State Capitol this Legislative Session, public school superintendents from across the state are working overtime to kill reform efforts that would make it easier for you to find out how they are spending your money.

When the Louisiana House of Representatives passed a $345 million supplemental spending bill last week, they made sure it was loaded with plenty of pork barrel projects.

St. Helena Parish School Board unionized public school teachers and employees refused to show up to work, leaving more than 1,170 public school students at home and with no access to education just weeks before graduation.

While Hurricane Katrina’s floodwaters destroyed every building operated by the New Orleans Public School System making it physically impossible for students to return in 2005—the harsh truth is they shouldn’t have been there to begin with.

LA Wildlife and Fisheries Secretary Jack Montoucet announced his sudden departure from the department after he was implicated in a federal bribery scheme in April 2023.

Louisiana Attorney Disciplinary Board rules that judge who resigned after being caught on camera using racial slurs will not face additional sanctions.