School Climate & Safety

Pay, Jobs for Displaced Teachers Are Priorities For AFT Officials

By Ann Bradley — September 07, 2005 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

On Trip Home, Former New Orleans Union Leader Watches Destruction of his District

Mr. LaCour and his wife immediately drove the 80 miles to Baton Rouge, where they were to fly home to Washington. But their flight was canceled because of the weather, so Mr. LaCour figured he’d ride out the storm and then go into New Orleans to check his property.

Now, all he knows of his house is what friends told him they saw on television—that water had nearly reached the roof of the two-story home in an upscale, east New Orleans neighborhood.

BRIC ARCHIVE

In the storm’s aftermath, Mr. LaCour has been working with other officials of the AFT, which represents teachers in New Orleans and in Jefferson and St. Tammany parishes, to help address teachers’ concerns.

“The teachers won’t be working,” he said Sept. 1 by phone from a Holiday Inn in Baton Rouge. “There is a question of whether they’ll get paid. But the real problem is that students won’t be there and parents will be relocating.”

The union is encouraging teachers who fled New Orleans to take jobs elsewhere, just as students are being encouraged to enroll in new schools, Mr. LaCour said. State and local education officials will have to determine whether and how students who are enrolled in new districts will be able to transfer credits to their home districts.

Information Centers

Most teachers in New Orleans are paid by electronic deposits into their bank accounts, Mr. LaCour said, so if officials can figure out how to run the payroll—and teachers can find accessible bank offices—they should be able to get their money.

The American Federation of Teachers and the AFL-CIO are cooperating to attempt to open centers in Baton Rouge and Houston where displaced New Orleans teachers can get information on insurance issues and employment opportunities, he said.

Mr. LaCour, who served for many years as the president of the union that eventually became United Teachers New Orleans, could not help but think of the damage to the city’s schools.

“The mayor said it may be a month to drain the water out,” he said. “The ground floor is where the records are kept. There are going to be ruined textbooks and materials. There are a lot of problems that need to be addressed.”

Events

Budget & Finance Webinar Leverage New Funding Sources with Data-Informed Practices
Address the whole child using data-informed practices, gain valuable insights, and learn strategies that can benefit your district.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Classroom Technology Webinar
ChatGPT & Education: 8 Ways AI Improves Student Outcomes
Revolutionize student success! Don't miss our expert-led webinar demonstrating practical ways AI tools will elevate learning experiences.
Content provided by Inzata
Classroom Technology K-12 Essentials Forum Tech Is Everywhere. But Is It Making Schools Better?
Join us for a lively discussion about the ways that technology is being used to improve schools and how it is falling short.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

School Climate & Safety Opinion 5 Critical Strategies to Make Your School Safer
There's no single solution to defend students’ physical, mental, and emotional health, but these five actionable steps are a place to start.
Doug Roberts, Ann Levett & Shanna Downs
5 min read
Illustration of a group of people forming the shape of a shield around a school building.
iStock + E+/Getty Images +Education Week
School Climate & Safety Teachers Agree on Most School Safety Issues, Except Guns
Teachers agree on their schools' top safety concerns, but they're divided over a policy that's extensively debated after school shootings.
4 min read
Teachers and other staff members from the Clifton, Texas, school district undergo handgun training at a shooting range just outside of Clifton. Instructors from Big Iron Concealed Handgun Training in Waco, Texas, were giving teachers tips on what they need to know to earn a license to carry weapons out of sight.
Teachers and other staff members from the Clifton, Texas, school district undergo handgun training at a shooting range just outside of Clifton in 2013. Instructors from Big Iron Concealed Handgun Training in Waco, Texas, were giving teachers tips on what they need to know to earn a license to carry weapons out of sight.
Lance Rosenfield/Prime for Education Week
School Climate & Safety It's Not ChatGPT That's the Problem. It's Binary Thinking
A lot of either-or arguments have been playing out in K-12 education over the past few years.
2 min read
051023 Lead Sym Lauraine jb BS
Chris Ferenzi for Education Week
School Climate & Safety Drivers Illegally Pass Buses 42 Million Times a Year. What Schools Can Do
A handful of students are killed each year getting on and off school buses. Schools can take some steps to try to make a difference.
6 min read
Crime scene tape cordons off a school bus as police officers from the Indiana State Police, Bartholomew County Sheriff's Department and Columbus Police Department investigate a hit and run involving a student and a vehicle at a bus stop on South Gladstone Avenue in Columbus, Ind., on Aug. 30, 2021.
Crime scene tape cordons off a school bus as police officers from the Indiana State Police, Bartholomew County Sheriff's Department and Columbus Police Department investigate a hit-and-run involving a student and a vehicle at a bus stop on South Gladstone Avenue in Columbus, Ind., on Aug. 30, 2021. About eight students per year are killed boarding or getting off of school buses.
Mike Wolanin/The Republic via AP