BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — About a dozen officials came together on Monday to discuss how to improve education in Louisiana.
According to the Louisiana Commissioner of Higher Education, Dr. Kim Reed, the state wants to double the number of people getting certifications and degrees.
“We are champions for education at every level. When we go to the money committees to talk about education, we talk about the value of early childhood supporting our teachers and higher education,” said Reed.
Teachers and parents question where Louisiana stands in terms of academics compared to other states. Reed said nowhere close.
“We’re nowhere near the top. Usually, we’re near the bottom when it comes to investment and so how do we do that? We sustain, we invest, but then we sustain the investment,” Reed said.
Reed said over $180 million in state funding has been approved for strategic investments like faculty and staff wages, expansion in nursing, scholarship opportunities, and campus safety projects.
“We also know there is a very strong correlation between family income and educational attainment,” said Reed.
Reed also mentioned how the Legislature approved and funded a little over $10 million for the M.J. Foster Promise Program, a program that provides financial assistance to eligible students.
“Don’t walk away from that opportunity because you think it might be too expensive. Learn more, contact a college university near you, and get some information before you make that big decision,” said Reed.
The Board of Regents, Louisiana Higher Education hopes this will help double the number of high-quality credentials in the state by 2030.