BATON ROUGE, La. – The Council for the Development of French in Louisiana (CODOFIL) and Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser welcomed 80 teachers from 9 countries around the world, including the United States, this week to work in Louisiana public schools starting in the 2023-2024 school year.
In collaboration with the Consulate General of France in New Orleans and the Ministry of Education of Spain, CODOFIL and the Louisiana Department of Education conducted an annual International Associate Teacher Orientation in Baton Rouge. The event assists teachers from France, Belgium, Canada, Senegal, Cameroon, Lebanon, Spain, and Mexico as they settle into Louisiana and begin contracts to teach in French and Spanish immersion programs in public schools across the state.
Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser welcomed the teachers to Louisiana in remarks delivered during the orientation on Wednesday.
“I’d like to thank all of these French and Spanish teachers who chose to come to Louisiana from around the world to work in our schools,” said Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser. “We’re fortunate to have them and hope they have time to get out and explore Louisiana while they are here to experience everything our state has to offer that will Feed Your Soul, from our food and music to our festivals and scenery.”
In 2016 and again in 2020, Lt. Governor Nungesser signed and renewed the French-Louisiana Accords, which are instrumental in growing the state’s French immersion programs in education from elementary school through university studies. In 2018, under his leadership, Louisiana became the only state in the U.S. granted observer status in the International Organization of the Francophonie.
“We are very grateful for all the new international teachers. It is not easy to leave your country, pack up your life, move across the Atlantic Ocean, and start a new adventure, but the lucky ones are the Louisiana children who will be in their classrooms, learning in French and Spanish, and at the same time, learning a different culture. This will enrich their lives and make them better global citizens,” said CODOFIL Executive Director Peggy Feehan.
The Council for the Development of French in Louisiana is a state agency in the Department of Culture, Recreation, and Tourism tasked with the development and promotion of the French language in Louisiana. For more information on CODOFIL, visit CODOFIL.org.
