Education
President Joe Biden announced in August that the federal government plans to forgive up to $20,000 of student debt for people who took out federal student loans. People who received Pell grants and earn less than $125,000 per year ($250,000 for married couples) can get up to $20,000 in debt forgiven, while non-Pell borrowers are eligible for up to $10,000 in relief.… Read more...
Since 2014, the Louisiana Board of Regents has been required by state law to annually report the household income data of recipients of the state’s largest and most-expensive student financial aid program, the Taylor Opportunity Program for Students (TOPS) scholarship. This data has shown us that since 2010-2011, the number of TOPS recipients from households with incomes of $150,000 or more has increased by 56%, while the number of recipients from the lowest-income households (earning less than $15,000) has decreased by 11% over the same time frame.… Read more...
Every Louisiana child deserves a high-quality education, and that can only happen if our public schools are staffed by talented, dedicated, and well-compensated teachers. But Louisiana continues to lag far behind our regional and national peers in teacher pay. Public school teachers in Louisiana are paid an average of $12,567 below their national peers and $3,639 below the Southern regional average, according to the Southern Regional Education Board.… Read more...