Hello,

My name is {name} and I am a constituent and proud resident of {parish} Parish.

I am writing to urge you to OPPOSE Governor Landry's executive order to redirect $168 million from K-12 school operating funds to cover teacher and staff pay stipends. The data and testimony from superintendents and education advocates across this state make clear what this order is: a cost-shift that robs school districts to pay a stipend the state is unwilling to fund directly.

Louisiana schools have not received an increase in per-student state funding since 2019. The Minimum Foundation Program is not a slush fund. It is the infrastructure that keeps children fed, transported, safe, and in functioning school buildings. Under this plan, school systems will receive 5% less from the state on average. Rural parishes with smaller reserves face cuts that could mean layoffs and lost services.

The Louisiana Association of School Superintendents has formally opposed this order. The Louisiana Federation of Teachers, the Louisiana Association of Public Charter Schools, and State Education Superintendent Cade Brumley have all raised alarms. Legislators are being asked to approve a major funding transfer affecting every school district in Louisiana without knowing the full impact. Districts are required by law to maintain reserves for hurricanes. Depleting those reserves does not just harm a budget. It puts communities at risk. This is not a process. That is a pressure campaign. 

Louisiana's teachers deserve a real solution. There is a bipartisan task force with six months to find a genuine funding path for teacher compensation. That work should be done before $168 million is stripped from our school systems. This is a reflection of who you are and what you stand for, not just as a legislator, but as a Louisianan. The deadline is June 23. I am asking you to be on the right side of it.