This is a collaborative blog post by the Louisiana Time To Care Coalition.
“I exhausted 6 years of accrued sick leave to ensure I would get my normal paycheck, even with short term disability insurance… It’s very difficult to use all of my sick days to cover maternity leave and be left with none in the event there is an emergency or the child is sick.”
Stories like this one are all too commonplace amongst Louisiana’s educators, as we found when we asked teachers in the state to anonymously share how access to paid leave would support them and their families. Due to a lack of paid parental leave, public school employees in the state are left with no choice but to accumulate any available paid time off or paid sick days in anticipation of welcoming a new child. The lack of procedural and legal safeguards forces many educators to return to work before they–and their child–are ready.
New parents, especially in the first few months, need time to adjust to parenthood. Financial strain from taking unpaid leave can add significant stress. Paid leave allows for a smoother transition and time for physical and emotional recovery, leading to happier and healthier teachers. In fact, paid leave is associated with better physical and mental health for mothers, including a lower risk of postpartum depression. For fathers who take paternity leave, they experience greater engagement in their child’s life, which in turn has cognitive and developmental advantages for children. Paid parental leave also supports adoptive parents by providing time to handle logistics and bond with a new child while easing the financial burden that often comes with adoption.
An instruction specialist reflects: “I could have had an additional 6 weeks on FMLA to bond with my baby, recover from my C-Section which still had painful stitches, and get to a point where sleep is improved, but I had to return to work because I ran out of sick days. I can’t survive on 60% of my regular paycheck.”
Another teacher echoed this sentiment, telling us, “Puppies get to stay with their moms longer than human babies do. I feel like that should be reason enough [to guarantee paid leave].”
The teaching profession is demanding, and competitive workplaces can struggle to keep talented educators in their jobs without supporting their wellbeing. In Louisiana, between 2023-2024, there were 52,808 teachers and numerous non-teaching staff members. During that same period, research shows that the turnover rate was 13% for teachers, and of those who departed, about 49% stated they were exiting due to personal reasons or retiring. Paid parental leave is especially crucial for young teachers entering the profession as they plan for their family’s future and their professional aspirations. The most recent federal data shows that a quarter of teachers who recently left teaching reported “personal life reasons (e.g., health, pregnancy/childcare, caring for family)” as the most important reason that factored into their decision to quit. As one teacher told us, “While I cherish my role as an educator, balancing work and family responsibilities can be challenging, especially when our dedication to others leaves little time for our own loved ones.”
Providing paid leave for educators demonstrates that a school district values its employees and their families. Across the South, we have seen states like Tennessee, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Alabama recognize the importance of providing paid leave to their educators. In Louisiana, paid parental leave was added to the growing list of benefits that state employees receive which encouraged the university systems to adopt the same policy. This can be a deciding factor for new teachers choosing a district and existing ones considering leaving the profession. Furthermore, studies have shown a correlation between teacher well-being 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.“We dedicate our lives to other children, but are forced to live a lifestyle where we can barely afford to take care of our own.” Ask any teacher and they will say that their career is their calling. Forcing hard working educators to choose between their health and their purpose is unconscionable. Paid parental leave will not only help Louisiana become more competitive as a state, but it will give some of our most valued community members and their families a much-needed sense of financial security.
