December 2020

LIVINGSTON SCHOOLS NAMED A BEST EMPLOYER IN LOUISIANA BY FORBES

A Forbes-sponsored survey of employees who work for large employers ranks Livingston Parish Public Schools as the second-best organization to work for in Louisiana in 2020, according to an analysis posted on the Forbes website.

Livingston Schools, which has nearly 3,900 contract, part-time and substitute employees, ranked second on the state’s list, only behind the Lafayette-based wholesale jewelry company, Stuller, which employees 1,000 people.

“We are so very honored by this ranking, because it comes from our employees,” Superintendent Joe Murphy said.  “Our mission at Livingston Parish Public Schools is to make a difference every day – not only in the lives of our students, but with our teachers, administrators, para-professionals and staff.”

The second annual Forbes list of top employers, which is based on a survey of 80,000 workers nationwide, consists of 51 separate rankings, one for each of the 50 states and Washington, D.C. Only employers with at least 500 workers on their payrolls were included in the survey.

The top ten best employers in Louisiana were:  Stuller, Livingston Parish Public Schools, St. Tammany Parish Public Schools, Willis-Knighton Health System, Capital One, Royal Dutch Shell, Waitr Holdings, Marriott International, Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers, and Eldorado Resorts.  Other school systems on the list included Tulane University (13), McNeese State University (17), Jefferson Parish Public School System (31), and Ouachita Parish School Board (40).

 

NORTHSIDE ELEMENTARY PRE-K PROGRAM AMONG STATE’S TOP PERFORMING

Northside Elementary Pre-K Program has been named a Top 10-rated early childhood education site, according to the Louisiana Department of Education’s 2019-2020 performance profile report.  At the same time, five other parish early childhood education sites received the state’s top excellent rating.

The state department’s report is a rating system for all publicly funded early childhood and Pre-K providers in the state akin to annual school performance scores for those systems serving older students.  The state rates providers as excellent, high proficient, proficient, approaching proficient or unsatisfactory. About 200 providers of the more than 1,500 across the state received the highest ranking of “excellent,” meaning they received an average score of a 6 or higher on a scale of 1 to 7.

Northside Elementary received an excellent rating of 6.53 – the state’s fifth-highest rating, tying for the No. 8 ranking.  The school scored high in emotional support (6.85) and classroom organization support (6.83).

“We are proud of the growth we are seeing across our district in our early childhood classes,” Supervisor of Instruction Stacey Milton said. “In addition to Northside Elementary, our programs at Eastside Elementary, Freshwater Elementary and Seventh Ward Elementary all earned excellent ratings for a second year in a row.  And according to the latest 2019-2020 performance profile results, Denham Springs Elementary and Lewis Vincent Elementary are now added to the list of excellent-rated site.”

Milton noted that another 18 early childhood education sites across Livingston Parish scored in the high proficiency category, nearing the highly coveted excellent rating.

Northside Elementary Pre-K Teacher Elizabeth Jordan, center, enjoys a classroom campfire session with students Maryana Netherland and Allan Rodriguez Vicente, left to right. Northside Elementary has been rated among the best early childhood education sites in the state.

 

 

STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH APPROVES NEW CORONAVIRUS RULES

The Louisiana Department of Health, aligning with new Centers for Disease Control guidelines, has revised its policy regarding quarantine times for school employees and students who are determined to be close contacts to positive COVID cases.

Under the new policy, students, teachers and staff can end their quarantines after seven days if they test negative for the coronavirus and show no symptoms, or return to campus after 10 days without a test if no symptoms surface.  The previous policy had required quarantines to stay in effect for 14 days for students and employees who had come in close contact with someone testing positive, with no options of “testing out” or lessening the quarantine time regardless of having symptoms or not.

State Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley had presented evidence to state legislators in November that the previous 14-day rule posed problems for schools.  He noted that the proper management of the shorter quarantine periods will allow more students to safely experience valuable class time and school activities.

Visit the Louisiana Department of Health’s website for more information on COVID-19 guidelines and resources available to schools.