A coalition of teachers, students, parents and leaders are in Baton Rouge to fight for public funding for education.

Rachelle Dehrab represents the Louisiana Association of Educators and teaches in Iberia Parish.

Dehrab is headed to Baton Rouge to join others who don’t want to see education undergo a budget cut. “It’s not worth it.  Kids are already losing programs.  We’re losing our elective programs at my middle school,” explains Dehrab.

The governor says there’s a tax that’s about to expire.  When it does the state will lose about $1.4 billion in revenue. Dehrab says the message for the special session is to bring part of that tax  back.  She says the money is needed. “We want to stay in education but some of us are losing our jobs already,” states Dehrab.

Jonathan Cole is a Lafayette Parish and president of the Lafayette Parish Association of Educators.  Cole says funding has to be part of the conversation. “When it comes to public education, the MFP fully funding that to provide the resources our kids needs, to provide up-dated textbooks, to provide updated facilities, to continue to fund programs that provide assistance to the kids that need it. We talk alot about school security today,  the idea of continuing to fund those initiatives,” adds Cole.

Cole says the special session discussion on education should also be about the people who teaching our children. “Making sure we have the best people in the classroom and that comes with a price tag. We want to make sure people are aware of that and that we want to provide a good community standard when it comes to our public schools,” says Cole.

The governor says he only wants to make up a portion of that $1.4 billion revenue loss.  he says maintaining $648 million will allow Louisiana to adequately fund all its critical priorities.