La. R.S. » RS
Louisiana Revised Statutes & Codes

La. Rev. Stat. § 17:81.4 (2026)

Reductions in force; dismissal of teachers and other school employees

✓ current as of May 2026
Find cases: SyfertCases citing this section LA-LEGlegis.la.gov JustiaTitle on Justia CornellLII Search CasesGoogle Scholar

§81.4.  Reductions in force; dismissal of teachers and other school employees

A.  Not later than September 1, 2012, each local public school board shall develop and adopt rules and policies that delegate reduction in force decisions to the superintendent which he shall use in dismissing teachers and other employees at any time a reduction in force is instituted.  Such rules and policies shall be made available for inspection by teachers, other school employees, and the general public within ten days after final adoption.

B.  All reduction in force policies adopted for use in dismissing teachers and administrators shall be based solely upon demand, performance, and effectiveness, as determined by the performance evaluation program as provided in R.S. 17:3881 through 3905.  Any reduction in force by a superintendent shall be instituted by dismissing the least effective teacher within each targeted subject area or area of certification first, and then proceeding by effectiveness rating until the reduction in force has been accomplished.

C.  All reduction in force policies adopted by a local school board for use by the superintendent in dismissing school employees who are not evaluated pursuant to R.S. 17:3881 through 3905, shall be based upon the following criteria:

(1)  Performance and effectiveness as determined by school board policy.

(2)  Certification or academic preparation, if applicable.

D.  All reduction in force policies of local public school boards and special schools as provided in this Section shall include:

(1)  The right of an employee notified of an action which results from implementation of a reduction in force policy to request in writing a review of such action and to receive notice of the results of such review.

(2)  The right of an employee to pursue the matter through the school board's adopted grievance procedure.

E.  No reduction in force policy adopted by a local public school board shall include seniority or tenure as the primary criterion to be considered when instituting a reduction in force.

Added by Acts 1983, No. 94, §1; Acts 1985, No. 602, §1; Acts 1986, No. 478, §1; Acts 1995, No. 1272, §1, eff. June 29, 1995; Acts 2012, No. 1, §1, eff. July 1, 2012.

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 20 cases, 1986–2014 · leading case: Eddy Oliver, Oscarlene Nixon, & Mildred Goodwin v. Orleans Par. Sch. Bd., 156 So. 3d 596 (La. 2014).
Sort: Relevance Newest Treatment
Eddy Oliver, Oscarlene Nixon, & Mildred Goodwin v. Orleans Par. Sch. Bd., 156 So. 3d 596 (La. 2014). · cites it 14× “R.S. 17:81.4 required the OPSB to have a RIF policy, it did not have one at this point.”
Hays v. Louisiana State Bd. of Elementary & Secondary Educ., 39 So. 3d 818 (La. Ct. App. 2010). · cites it 28× “BESE, on the other hand, maintains that the implementation of a RIF, as authorized by LSA-R.S. 17:81.4, does not invoke the teacher tenure provisions of LSA-R.”
Louisiana Fed'n of Teachers v. State, 171 So. 3d 835 (La. 2014). · cites it 8× “R.S. 17:81.4, entitled “Reductions in force; dismissal of teachers and other school employees,” requires reduction in force (“RIF”) decisions be based on performance and effectiveness and provides seniority or tenure shall not be included as the primary criterion in a RIF policy.”
Tankerson v. Vallas, 34 So. 3d 355 (La. Ct. App. 2010). · cites it 2× “R.S. 17:81.4; institute extended sick, maternity, or military leave; or grant sabbaticals.”
Harris v. West Carroll Par. Sch. Bd., 605 So. 2d 610 (La. Ct. App. 1992). “provides as follows: School employees; procedure for dismissal Not later than January 1, 1988, each city and parish school board shall develop and adopt rules and policies which it shall use in dismissing school employees who have not attained tenure in accordance with…”
Burns v. Monroe City Sch. Bd., 577 So. 2d 1205 (La. Ct. App. 1991). · cites it 2× “R.S. 17:81.4 C, the MCSB had in place a written reduction in force (RIF) policy on January 1, 1987.”
Oliver v. Orleans Par. Sch. Bd., 133 So. 3d 38 (La. Ct. App. 2014). · cites it 2× “R.S. 17:81.4. By way of 17:81.4, the Board was required to develop and adopt rules and policies that delegate RIF decisions.”
Doherty v. Calcasieu Par. Sch. Bd., 634 So. 2d 1172 (La. 1994). “Not later than January 1, 1988, each city and parish school board shall develop and adopt rules and policies which it shall use in dismissing school employees who have not attained tenure in accordance with applicable provisions of law and whose dismissal is not a result in a…”
Cowart v. Lee, 626 So. 2d 93 (La. Ct. App. 1993). “School employees; procedure for dismissal Not later than January 1, 1988, each city and parish school board shall develop and adopt rules and policies which it shall use in dismissing school employees who have not attained tenure in accordance with applicable provisions of law…”
Easterling v. Monroe City Sch. Bd., 612 So. 2d 975 (La. Ct. App. 1993). “5, which states, in relevant part, as follows: Not later than January 1, 1988, each city and parish school board shall develop and adopt rules and policies which it shall use in dismissing school employees who have not attained tenure in accordance with applicable provisions of…”
Scott v. Ouachita Par. Sch. Bd., 768 So. 2d 702 (La. Ct. App. 2000). “School employees; procedure for dismissal Not later than January 1, 1988, each city and parish school board shall develop and adopt rules and policies which it shall use in dismissing school employees who have not attained tenure in accordance with applicable provisions of law…”
Wilhelm v. Vermilion Par. Sch. Bd., 598 So. 2d 699 (La. Ct. App. 1992). “5 provides: Not later than January 1, 1988, each city and parish school board shall develop and adopt rules and policies which it shall use in dismissing school employees who have not attained tenure in accordance with applicable provisions of law and whose dismissal is not a…”
Show all 20 citing cases →
La. Rev. Stat. § 17:81.4(A): 2 cases
Louisiana Fed'n of Teachers v. State, 171 So. 3d 835 (La. 2014). “R.S. 17:81.4, entitled “Reductions in force; dismissal of teachers and other school employees,” requires reduction in force (“RIF”) decisions be based on performance and effectiveness and provides seniority or tenure shall not be included as the primary criterion in a RIF policy.”
Louisiana Fed'n of Teachers, East Baton Rouge Fed'n of Teachers, Jefferson Fed'n of Teachers, Nellie Joyce Meariman & Kevin Joseph Dehart v. State of Louisiana (La. 2014).
La. Rev. Stat. § 17:81.4(B): 2 cases
Louisiana Fed'n of Teachers v. State, 171 So. 3d 835 (La. 2014). “R.S. 17:81.4, entitled “Reductions in force; dismissal of teachers and other school employees,” requires reduction in force (“RIF”) decisions be based on performance and effectiveness and provides seniority or tenure shall not be included as the primary criterion in a RIF policy.”
Louisiana Fed'n of Teachers, East Baton Rouge Fed'n of Teachers, Jefferson Fed'n of Teachers, Nellie Joyce Meariman & Kevin Joseph Dehart v. State of Louisiana (La. 2014).
La. Rev. Stat. § 17:81.4(D): 2 cases
Louisiana Fed'n of Teachers v. State, 171 So. 3d 835 (La. 2014). “R.S. 17:81.4, entitled “Reductions in force; dismissal of teachers and other school employees,” requires reduction in force (“RIF”) decisions be based on performance and effectiveness and provides seniority or tenure shall not be included as the primary criterion in a RIF policy.”
Louisiana Fed'n of Teachers, East Baton Rouge Fed'n of Teachers, Jefferson Fed'n of Teachers, Nellie Joyce Meariman & Kevin Joseph Dehart v. State of Louisiana (La. 2014).
Annotations are extracted automatically from the opinions in the Syfert caselaw corpus and ranked by authority, recency, and treatment. Dots show Syfertize treatment of the citing case itself.