Regents, Department of Education report gains in Louisiana teacher workforce; task force outlines multiple pipeline programs

Commissioner Kim Hunter Reid and state education officials told the House Education Committee on Feb. 12 that statewide efforts to recruit and retain teachers are showing measurable gains, but members urged continued attention to compensation, job conditions and specialized shortages.

"We have an increase of over 843 teachers in our state," Commissioner Kim Hunter Reid said as she summarized the task force’s 2024 report. The report and a printed handout with a QR code were provided to committee members in advance.

The task force — convened by the Board of Regents and co‑chaired by Barry Irwin of Leaders for a Better Louisiana — produced a package of strategies the panel said are intended to expand and diversify the teacher pipeline. Reid told lawmakers the state now has 52,208 certified teachers on record in 2024 and that new programs aim to ‘‘grow our own’’ teachers.

Key program numbers cited by Reid and Department of Education staff include: - Pre‑educator pathway: 89 high schools offering a pathway with 1,700 high‑school students enrolled as of 2024. (Reid) - Para‑to‑teacher model: about 597 Louisiana school employees enrolled in 2024. (Reid) - Mentor teacher increases: an increase of more than 1,000 teachers serving as mentors. (Reid) - Aspiring principal program: 88% of the second cohort fellows are reported to be in school leader positions. (Reid)

Arthur (Art) Joffreon of the Louisiana Department of Education told lawmakers that the overall teacher headcount has ‘‘continued to increase over the last several years.’’ He cautioned that the raw teacher headcount includes librarians, master teachers and interventionists who are not assigned a fixed class roster, which complicates simple student‑to‑teacher ratio calculations.

Representative Reba Amadei and other members thanked the task force and emphasized that pay is only one part of retention. Rep. Amadei said teachers commonly tell her they leave because of work environment, not pay, and praised recent statutory changes aimed at improving classroom conditions. Representative Carver asked whether higher‑education teacher‑preparation curricula prepare new teachers for day‑one duties tied to interventions such as literacy screeners; Commissioner Reid said stronger district‑college feedback loops exist but she will follow up on potential curricular gaps.

Lawmakers also highlighted efforts to recruit underrepresented candidates. Reid said 41% of the 2024 para‑to‑teacher cohort are candidates of color and that the department has a stated goal to increase minority teacher representation; a full workforce data report was scheduled for release at the Board of Regents’ March or April meeting, Art Joffreon said.

The committee heard praise from members who served on the task force. Representative Freiberg and others commended the joint work of the Department of Education and Board of Regents and urged continued legislative support for pay and scholarships such as the GoTeach scholarship funded in 2024.

Next steps described during the meeting included continued implementation of task force recommendations, monitoring progress via the workforce data report expected in the spring, and follow‑up by committee members on specific gaps in preparation and specialty shortages (for example, STEM and special education). No formal committee vote or binding action was recorded on Feb. 12.

Ending: Committee members thanked Commissioner Reid, Department of Education staff and Board of Regents representatives for the update and indicated interest in reviewing the forthcoming detailed workforce data when it is released to the Board of Regents and the legislature.