Support for Louisiana.

The state we're in is provided by Entergy.

Louisiana is strengthening our power grid throughout the state.

We're reinforcing infrastructure to prepare for stronger storms, reduce outages, and respond quicker when you do need us.

Because together we power life.

Additional support provided by the Fred B and Ruth B Ziegler Foundation and the Ziegler Art Museum, located in Jennings City Hall.

The museum focuses on emerging Louisiana artists and is a historical and cultural center for Southwest Louisiana.

And the Foundation for Excellence in Louisiana Public Broadcasting.

And viewers like you.

Thank you.

Louisiana is facing a shortage of qualified teachers.

We'll look at some ways that school districts are hoping to fill that gap.

And I'm taking you to Grand Isle for a look at the area's booming oyster industry.

Plus, we're just days away from the start of the legislative session.

I have a preview of some of the top bills.

Plus, Karen LeBlanc takes us to Saint Landry Parish to meet the first family of Cajun music.

Let's get started.

Let's go.

To.

Hi, everyone.

I'm Christina Jensen.

And I'm Johnnie Adkins and much more on those top stories in a moment on this week's edition of Louisiana The State We're In.

But first, Louisiana has had trouble in recent years finding enough teachers.

On average, educators in the state make about $6,000 less per year than those in neighboring states.

Some districts are now looking at creative ways to attract new teachers and retain their current staff.

Take a look.

Louisiana's classrooms are seeing a historic streak of success, but the debate over how to keep those teachers in the classroom is heating up.

For four straight years, school test scores in Louisiana have improved dramatically, now reaching a record high for 2025.

But as we head towards a critical state vote in May, the future of educator salaries is hanging in the balance.

So coming up on the ballot in May is possible.

Teacher raise for salaries.

What do you expect in.

That amendment three?

We're asking everyone in state Louisiana to vote yes or four for that amendment, because it does include a pay raise for not only for teachers, but for ESD or support personnel.

The Oaks is president of Louisiana Association of Educators, and also the education in the state is seeing big improvements in recent years.

I think because the teachers are in it for the long haul, they're in it to help their students, to make their students a way or make them ready for life, ready for after whatever happens after high school graduation.

The bar for teachers in Louisiana is getting higher.

Starting this year, the state is moving to a tougher grading system called grow, achieve, thrive.

They have a bill in the legislature right now trying to figure out a ten point scale.

That is actually they're trying to man up with colleges because I don't know if, you know, a lot of colleges have gone to ten point scale.

And I think that's what they're trying to do at line both high school, middle school, lower elementary with college.

For Louisiana State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, or Betsy supports efforts for local school systems to improve.

And they released this statement.

Attracting and retaining highly qualified teachers remains a top priority, and we continue to work with state and local partners to strengthen the educator pipeline, expand recruitment pathways and support strategies that help schools meet the needs of their communities.

All expectations for teachers and students are rising.

Teachers are still waiting for a permanent pay raise.

Yeah, I mean, I see how hard they work.

I have my brother's a teacher.

My wife's a teacher.

None of us would be where we are without teachers.

Right now, educators are relying on a $2,000 annual bonus that was barely saved in the last budget.

But to make it permanent, voters must approve a constitutional amendment in the May 16th election.

So we'll still be below the level.

Below, but it's closer than it.

Yeah.

Well, is now.

Where will we rank in 50 states?

I think I just looked it up where it number 4849 right now.

And what we improve on, we.

Would probably do about 46 or 47 is a little improvement.

They should absolutely get a pay raise.

Okay.

And what do you think?

I think.

So too.

Just because of the passion.

You know, more so just getting what you deserve.

Just but you know what amount of time that they, you know, spend with the kids, right?

If fast money would be redirected from various trust fund to pay down retirement debt and have a permanent $2,250 raise for teachers starting in September.

And that will help with the low pay.

It's not getting us up to the southern regional average like other states, but it will help a little bit.

I'll see how hard they work and how much work they do and how many kids they they teach.

And I just it doesn't seem fair that the pay they get for the work they put in.

Another change in Louisiana schools is the four day workweek.

Today, nearly one fourth of Louisiana school districts have stopped the traditional Monday through Friday.

Four day school week came about basically.

Because individual.

School system started deciding what was best for their communities.

The calculation is pretty simple.

By extending the school week just one hour a day.

The school can still meet the 63,720 school minutes per year.

So what are the teachers think about a four day school week?

Some like it, some don't.

It really depends on the needs of the communities and the students and the parents and what they, usually most school systems like Monday, they surveyed every all the stakeholders, the teachers, the support people, the communities, the students, the parents.

And then based on that, they decided whether the school board decided whether to go to a four day work week or not.

Some parents have mixed feelings about the four day week.

If that means hiring a babysitter or having unmonitored teenagers, so was the student's opinion that they happy to.

Get one day off?

I think they are happy to get a day off most of the time.

Not all students get that because if they need extra tutoring, they do that usually on whatever day that's available.

And so some of the students will have to do that to help.

What are the teachers do on that fifth day?

Does the teachers usually help with tutoring?

You know, they will do some tutoring based on the state and, they also some of them will do professional development on those days.

Schools in Louisiana have seen numbers rising for the last four years in every category but salaries.

And it's up to Louisiana voters to make that decision in the May election.

Let's take a look at what's trending this week.

A lot of people are paying attention to President Trump's war on Iran.

Yeah.

Oil and gas prices are already shooting up because of the conflict in Iran.

Yeah.

Oil and gas prices, actually, according to triple A, right now, a gallon of regular in Louisiana, the average is $2.90.

Compare that to a week ago 250.

The national average, well over $3.

That's $0.40 more.

And that can impact the grocery prices and transportation costs.

All around the state.

Yeah, gas has a trickle down effect, so we'll have to wait to see what happens.

Anxious to see the worst day to be a woman in Louisiana takes the top spot.

That's according to a new report by WalletHub.

Yeah, and I'm surprised to hear that because they also have low graduation rates and their salaries aren't as high.

Yeah, the report attributes it to not enough pay, health care access, mortality rates and much more.

But hopefully that improves within the next few years.

And Tiger Stadium, new upgrades are coming there, but not for the sports.

As for phones.

AT&T is spending more than $45 million on major cell service upgrades.

Yeah, that's right.

Faster connection, better service, fewer dropped calls.

I mean, just take a look at that video.

You can just see how crowded that stadium can be.

And when it's not crowded, you're talking about missed calls.

You can't go.

You can't get through text messages.

You can't find a find my iPhone.

You can't find people.

Yeah.

And we're talking about 100,000 people there.

And I don't think I would ever use my phone at the Tigers game, but I guess a lot of people do.

Yeah, it's even going to help first responders, too.

Yeah, well, even chimps are enjoying Doctor Seuss books at a Louisiana sanctuary.

How about that?

They don't seem to be reading them, but maybe they're looking at the pictures and maybe they have a different flavor.

You never know.

I think they like the texture.

Well, Chimp Haven and Keith Phil is asking for doctors whose book donations, of course, they posted this on social media on March 2nd, which, by the way, if you didn't know, is Doctor Seuss Day.

Yeah.

And what's your favorite Doctor Seuss book?

Green eggs and ham.

Green eggs and ham.

I guess I'm just a Grinch fan.

Who doesn't love Doctor Seuss.

Books.

Yeah, and they are really something.

And if you guys want to donate, just check out Chimp Haven's website.

Yeah.

Meanwhile, Grand Isle delicacy is making waves in the culinary world.

Grand Isle Jewel oysters are grown in suspended cages not harvested from the ocean floor, using a sustainable method that produces a cleaner, more consistent oyster.

That approach has quickly turned them into a favorite at restaurants across Louisiana.

Let's take a look.

On the waters off Grand Isle, oysters aren't just a local delicacy, they're now a symbol of innovation and resilience.

The Louisiana seafood industry was dealt a devastating blow in 2010, when the BP oil spill left oyster beds in ruin.

For many, the future of the centuries old craft seemed uncertain.

But here in Grand Isle, innovation rooted in tradition carried the day.

Oysterman Jules Melancon brought off bottom oyster farming to these waters, a method suspending seed oysters in cages above the bay floor.

What once took five years now takes just ten months to see it firsthand.

We climbed aboard Kirk Corral's boat at Bayside Oysters and set out across the bay, gliding past rows of floating cages that stretch across the water.

We're headed to the Grand Opera Commission's oyster lease are permitted.

Oyster area.

They started this up about four years ago with eight acres.

Kirk lifts each cage by hand, inspecting the oysters inside, suspended just below the water surface.

They grow individually, untouched by the clusters and mud that shape bottom grown oysters.

Every oyster is carefully nurtured to develop the perfect size and flavor.

What makes the, off bottom oysters different is that.

They're born in a. Lab and they're grown in Mother Nature, so they're grown individually.

So you don't have these clusters that, wild or bottom oyster would have.

They're grown about 2 to 3in underneath the surface of the water.

From what we know, that's where all the good phytoplankton, dissolved oxygen and all the nutrients are out there.

Grand Island oysters aren't just about quantity.

They're known for flavor.

Raised in off bottom cages above the bay, they develop a sweet, briny taste.

These oysters are sold under the umbrella brand Grand Isle.

Jules Kirk is one of nine independent oyster farmers under that umbrella, created with support from the Jefferson Parish Economic Development Commission, Louisiana Sea Grant and the Port Commission.

The umbrella brand is sort of a regional focus, so our job is to be able to say like, it's kind of like a Tennessee whiskey or a New York strip steak, where if you're getting a jewel from a restaurant, it's got to be an off bottom Grand Isle Oyster.

Through the research that we did, we discovered these oyster farmers doing this incredibly innovative work down in Grand Isle.

And we were like, we should be supporting this and try to find some way to amplify and elevate what they're doing here.

Since its launch in 2025, Grand Isle Jewels has grown rapidly, expanding Aqua farm leases across local waters and supporting a new generation of oyster farmers.

We're going to go from 13.5 acres to about 40 acres.

This is going to increase the number of plots that we'll be able to lease to additional oyster farmers.

The second thing we're getting ready to do, and this is the first of its kind here in the town of Grand Island, we're getting ready to construct an oyster aquaculture work station where our farmers can bring their oysters to this workstation and sort and tumble their oysters and bring them back to the farms.

Grand Isle jewels are now featured in restaurants across Louisiana, and thanks to a partnership with Inland Foods, one of the nation's largest specialty food distributors, these oysters are reaching new markets.

Inland is working to get the the Grand Isle jewels into more restaurants, not just in Louisiana, not just in the Gulf South, but across the east Coast and the United States.

We really want people to know that this is like, these are the best oysters.

They're the best oysters in the world.

That's what we like to say with generations of expertise, a spirit of innovation, and a brand that embodies the pride of the Gulf, Grand Isle oyster farmers are turning their oysters into true treasures, shining jewels of the Gulf.

They're a much higher quality oyster.

They're a much higher tasting oysters, and so far is more saltier.

And so they are the jewels of Grand Isle.

Well, we're thinking about Grand Isle jewels.

We really want people to know that these are like a Louisiana treasure.

They're a gem, a Gulf gem.

We're just trying to offer them the best oyster out there.

You know, everybody thinks theirs is the best.

And of course we do.

Two Grand Isle Jewels isn't just a name, it's a promise of quality, sustainability, and a new chapter for an industry that has weathered spills, storms and decades of uncertainty.

The 2026 legislative session kicks off on Monday, when lawmakers will take up hundreds of proposed bills.

Governor Jeff Landry has also outlined his legislative priorities but is already facing pushback.

I sat down with the head of the Public Affairs Research Council, Steven Procopio, for a preview.

Joining me now is the PA president.

Steven Procopio, what do you think about this year's legislation when it starts?

You know, I think this is going to be, an interesting change of pace or maybe not pace, but let's focus.

The past two years have been dominated by the governor.

His agenda.

I mean, just the regular sessions we've had for special sessions in the past two years, all driven by the governor.

You have criminal justice reform, redistricting, the creation of the alligator program, a proposed constitutional amendment and massive tax reform.

I think now, this is going to be more about the members and what they want to do.

And I think they've have a lot of, pent up ideas that they want to see pushed forward.

Well, Governor Landry has talked about a standstill budget.

So not increasing anything major or decreasing.

What was that mean?

So so for the most part, it's going to be in terms of state tax dollars, pretty similar to what we had last year.

Now, I think there's some adjustments that the governor, wants.

He, I think he needs more money for corrections.

Part of that is due to some of the changes we made with some of the criminal justice changes, you know, getting rid of good time and limiting parole, those type of things.

So they have more people incarcerated.

And then he also the big change would also be the la Gator.

The governor would like to see that almost double, in terms of the number of people, because mostly it has been sort of the former voucher program.

That has sort of continued and I think he would like to expand that to, sort of a new group of people.

So I think there's pluses and minuses.

One of the things we've looked at is the cost.

And I think actually there's a lot of benefit to the program if implemented.

Right.

What they're trying to do, and it's not just a voucher program, because the old voucher program is essentially you got your tuition paid for this could do that, but it also could be used for lots of different things.

It could be used for tutoring programs or to buy supplies or to help, provide resources for people that are homeschooling.

So there's lots of different things that could be included in that.

And it it has a cost and it depends on exactly who uses it.

What the, the total net cost will be.

Because if you're if you're already in public school and you shift over, the public schools would then lose that student, so they'd lose that money, it's attached, but then you would have a reduction in the cost as well.

So it's it's pretty close.

And the real issue because the cost driver is if it ends up, helping someone pay the tuition for private school and they're already going, I think that's probably where you run into the biggest pushback in terms of like this, is this the most efficient use of tax dollars?

So it's going to see how they tackle it.

They they might say, look, they may not expand at all because the Senate has pushed back.

And they didn't get any additional dollars last year.

And the, you know, the Senate, with Cameron Henry and some of the senators and some of the senators I talked to, you are not interested in doing this.

But if they do it, it might be something smaller.

And sort of more like a pilot expansion that has a smaller group just to show that we can go beyond the regular, old voucher kids.

Another big issue is the prison funding.

Part of the reason for these costs is that there's more people in prison.

And so that has a cost.

So this isn't even necessarily really an optional thing.

This isn't like, hey, I'd like to put more people in jail.

There's no there are more people in jail.

There's a cost associated with it.

And so that's something that you're gonna have to find a way to fund one way or another.

Yeah.

Carbon capture is a big issue in Louisiana, right?

And what would they be doing deciding that, when they start their session on Monday.

Carbon capture is is a lot of people say it's the key to continuing some of the, oil and gas exploration that we are doing because a lot of companies outside of Louisiana want to see this.

So like if you're going to provide a service or a product to these companies, particularly a lot of people overseas, they want to see that you're doing what you can to reduce, carbon gases.

So this is and we, we, we right now seem to be a leader, however, that a lot of pushback and it's not really coming from environmentalists, others that push back.

But that's probably not as strong in Louisiana.

Politically.

But what you also seeing is really from, locals.

Locals are concerned about, that this was being done and they don't have a lot of input into it that this is really been coming down from a state mandate.

And so some people are, you know, particularly in legislature, saying, hey, we need to give landowners more rights.

We need to give locals more options and what they can and can't influence.

And that has been that's not new this session.

That has been from last session, the session before.

So this is going to be a, I think a big issue.

I will say last year none of those bills got out of committee.

So I think it's it's a steep hill to climb to try and push some of these local option or, landowner bills.

Yeah, it sounds like a great idea, and it's going to help every way.

But then you hear about the possible dangers of exactly the carbon capture and what that could do.

I would say probably, given what's happened in the past years, it's going to be very tough, to, slow down the, carbon capture, proponents.

Okay.

Are there any under the radar bills that you think will be coming, a big issue as the session begins?

So this is a little bit different.

This is like I say, it's going to be a lot of member bills.

So they have 100 different issues that they're looking at that are important to them.

So I know, there are some legislators are really looking at seven stacks and seeing if there's more ways that locals can share in some of the way the seven stacks is done, because basically the state collects all the seven stacks and it sends some back to the locals.

But there's a cap on that, so some people would like to see there.

However, there's a fiscal impact because that's money.

That's now coming to the state.

You tie that all in.

One of the things the governor has said he'd like to do is cut our income tax at some point, maybe not this session, but maybe, you know, either in a special session or next year.

And to do that, you have to be really tight with the budget.

If you want to set aside enough money that you can have a sustainable tax cut.

So this all has to take place within the context of if you want to do a tax cut, we have to generate enough savings.

So and that's hard to do.

Every additional dollar you spend is additional dollars you can't put to a tax cut.

Okay.

Well I would like to thank you for being here and filling us in on this year's legislative session.

No, absolutely.

I'm I'm just as curious as everyone else what's actually going to happen.

In a state stitched together by story, song and food, the Savoie family stands as Louisiana's first family of culture keepers, a living lineage of tradition bearers.

LA 64 as Karen LeBlanc takes us to Saint Landry Parish for a look at how the family is passing down the legacy of Cajun music through the generations.

Saturday mornings at Savoie Music Center in Eunice sound like this coming.

It starts at 9 a.m.

with boudin, coffee and conversation as musicians violin with fiddles, guitars and accordions, some handmade by Marc Savoie in his workshop at the back of the store.

Marc opened Savoie Music Center in 1966, defying the odds and the doubts of the bank loan officer who predicted his handmade accordion business would fold within a year.

Can you imagine me.

Sticking up my neck.

Making all this.

Investment.

Financial investment.

To build this place.

To do something that was so stigmatized?

Savoie Music Center carries the patina of its 60 years in business.

Traffic whizzes by this place of music legends, hidden in plain sight and revered by those in the know, inquisitive tourist in search of authentic Cajun music, find their way here on Saturday mornings from all corners of the world.

Admission is free and you can play, watch, listen and learn.

Marc Savoie calls it a house party.

The Saturday morning jam sessions honor the Cajun music trailblazers, the old timers.

Marc plays one of his handmade accordions.

His wife Anne plays the guitar alongside daughter Sarah at the piano.

The two take turns singing soulful lyrics, while sibling Wilson plays the accordion.

We never said anything like, here, you play this, you play that.

In fact, Marco just made a joke, which I, like you said, you put all the instruments out all around the house and said, don't you dare touch those instruments.

That's how we did it.

And they all started gravitating and playing everything.

The Savoie family toured worldwide together for decades, and the siblings all claim their own success performing with bands they founded, while the youngest, Gabriel, is an accomplished artist.

My dad, like he said, he faced a lot of trials.

He put his blood, sweat and tears in to making this place and kind of creating a safe haven where the older generation could feel seen and heard and valued, and the younger generation could learn by watching and listening.

So much of what the older generation knows is not written down.

It's just like any other traditional music in the world.

So people just hear that and hear that in the womb, and then they they know it in their bodies, you know, and then they can get somewhere and they can hear it.

They can hear, they can play along with it's it's not a written down music.

Sarah, the eldest sibling, plays the piano and sings in this raw, passionate, melancholy voice that comes from deep within her soul.

You know, I feel a responsibility to keep this part of it alive.

The jam session where people come in and speak French and share cracklin and boudin and play music not for performance.

And I think that that's what tourists like, because they can come and go.

And even if you don't show up for, I don't know, 30 years, it's still the same thing.

It smells the same.

You see something, hopefully you see a lot of the same people around and we're still playing the same songs.

Wilson, the third child, plays an accordion.

That is dad and his brother Joel, an accomplished woodworker.

Handcrafted.

My brother Joel was the one who has been engineering new ideas into these accordions and figured out how can we make it a little bit louder or a little bit more efficient?

And so, Joel, not scared to keep it in the tradition, but also figure out ways to make it.

Maybe it's possible to improve on these designs.

And sure enough, it played amazingly.

It was so much fun to play that accordion.

Kevin Wimmer showed up to play alone.

He's visiting from New York, but lived in Louisiana for 30 years and has been coming to Savoie Music Center since 1985 while learning to play Cajun music from the legendary Dewey Balla, who lived in nearby Bazil.

You know, other local.

Musicians would just sort of, you know, maybe come hang out or visit some of the old, older musicians who had retired or just they would come over and visit because people are always, you know, you can visit and talk.

You don't have to play music, but you then someone else will.

Show up and maybe you play, you.

Know?

Lydia Garrison remembers hanging out at the Saturday jam sessions as a child while her mother danced.

It was really neat to watch Mark and the family just.

I like how Mark he would really get into the tune, and then he would just sit and watch everybody playing and he would enjoy it.

I like how music here is, is more just what everybody does.

The things to me that stand out about Cajun music now, as I've kind of gotten older and seeing more music and seeing Cajun music again, as an older person, I noticed that, you know, people can be really great and talented, but it's about the fun.

It's about the energy.

South of Music Center grew from a local shop into a cultural landmark where its handcrafted accordions etched Louisiana made carry the sound and the soul of Cajun tradition.

The South was Louisiana's first family of culture keepers, carrying forward marks legacy of being unapologetically Cajun.

Back when Cajun wasn't cool and they'd never stop playing, the two.

Karen is traveling the state to highlight the people, places, and culture of Louisiana.

And for more Le 64 content, including full episodes, check out our website LPB Dawgs LA 64.

And Karen just been doing a great job traveling the state and the parishes.

I love the show.

She's doing.

Well.

That's our show for this week.

Remember, you can watch anything LPB anytime, wherever you are with our LPB app.

And you can catch LPB news and public affairs shows as well as other Louisiana programs that you've come to enjoy over the years.

And please like us on Facebook and.

Instagram for everyone at Louisiana Public Broadcasting, I'm Christina Jensen.

And I'm Johnny Atkins.

And until next time, that's the state we're in.

For.

Support for Louisiana.

The state we're in is provided by Entergy.

Louisiana is strengthening our power grid throughout the state.

We're reinforcing infrastructure to prepare for stronger storms, reduce outages, and respond quicker when you do need us.

Because together we power life.

Additional support provided by the Fred B and Ruth B Ziegler Foundation and the Ziegler Art Museum, located in Jennings City Hall.

The museum focuses on emerging Louisiana artists and is a historical and cultural center for Southwest Louisiana.

And by Visit Baton Rouge and the Foundation for Excellence in Louisiana Public Broadcasting.

And viewers like you.

Thank you.