Across the South, there has been rising momentum to expand access to paid parental leave for hardworking, public K-12 employees. As of 2025, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee have all adopted policies that extend several weeks of paid, job-protected parental leave to new parents employed by the local education agencies of the state. This policy recognizes the need to address the gaps that exist between educators’ health, their family lives, and their passion – educating the youth of America.
On December 11th, A Better Balance Staff Attorney Carmen McCoy spoke before the Louisiana State Legislature on the importance of paid parental leave for K-12 staff and the growing momentum of these policies in Southern peer states. We were joined by partners from the New Orleans Health Department, Louisiana Public Health Institute, American Heart Association, and Invest in Louisiana.
In 2023, Louisiana enacted a paid parental leave policy for state government employees, which allows employees to take 6 weeks of paid leave for the birth, adoption, or foster placement of a new child. In 2024, Louisiana Senator Sam Jenkins sponsored a bill that would extend the same benefit to Louisiana’s public K-12 employees. While the bill passed through Senate Education unanimously with bipartisan support, more questions remained regarding the cost of the program, and as a result, both the Senate Finance and Education committees agreed to pass SSR3, which created a joint study that evaluates the benefits and feasibility of paid parental leave for educators.
Paid parental leave is a proven means of boosting employee retention and morale, enhancing the financial security of families, and promoting better health outcomes for both parents and children. These protections are especially important when considering the United States is experiencing a national teacher shortage. Policies like paid parental leave help reduce the financial strain of welcoming a new child, while also ensuring K-12 employees are supported in their transitional period so that they are ready and able to return to the classroom when the time comes. For educators in particular, studies have shown a correlation between teacher wellbeing and student achievement; teachers with strong work-life balance and reduced stress are more likely to be engaged and effective in the classroom, which can lead to a more positive learning environment for students. Paid parental leave is truly a win-win for Louisianans.
In our remarks, we highlighted how extending access to paid parental leave for educators would bring parity across employees within the civil service, and would also keep Louisiana competitive with several southern peer states, stimulating Louisiana’s economy and attracting essential workers to the state. We know that the state of Louisiana is currently in need of 1,145 teachers as of 2024, and research shows that between 2023-2024, the turnover rate for teachers was 15% and 16% for school leaders. Providing greater access to paid parental leave for educators can help address turnover in education, and help schools retain and recruit talented teachers.
Erica Musgrove, a teacher in East Baton Rouge Parish, shared that we can do better protecting our teachers and providing for their needs that they have so they can work in a field that is wonderful and rewarding. She discussed how she was fortunate enough to have colleagues close to retirement who were able to donate their accumulated sick leave to her. However, most teachers are earlier in their career and do not have sick time accrued to spend, so they are forced to go to work sick, in hopes of being able to use their accrued time a few years down the road when they are ready to have children. She also emphasized that due to the lack of paid leave, many teachers leave the profession upon welcoming a new child. “It’s sad that we have to prioritize going to work with other people’s children rather than being able to stay home with our own.”
This holiday season, we are proud to have joined our partners in advocating for a meaningful change for the members of society who dedicate their lives to the advancement and prosperity of Louisiana’s children. This hearing fostered incredible bipartisan support and represents an exciting step in moving closer to expanding a much needed policy for Louisiana employees.
You can watch the full hearing here.
