Most of Louisiana is classified as a mental health professional shortage area, leaving countless families — especially children —without access to critical mental health services. According to the National Survey of Children’s Health, over half of children in Louisiana who experience mental health challenges do not receive the care they need. This is a staggering number given that this study estimates that 30.3% of children ages 3-17 have at least one emotional, developmental or behavioral health disorder. This unmet need has far-reaching consequences, affecting school performance, family stability and community safety.

Addressing this gap starts with investing in higher education programs that train the mental health professionals our state desperately needs. Universities such as the University of Louisiana Monroe, Louisiana State University Shreveport, Louisiana Tech University, Grambling State University, the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, McNeese State University, Northwestern State University, Southeastern Louisiana University, University of New Orleans, University of Holy Cross, Tulane University, Nicholls State University, LSU and others play a vital role in preparing skilled counselors, psychologists and social workers.

However, the current capacity of mental health training programs is not sufficient to meet the growing demand. We are facing another potential budget shortfall in Louisiana that could impact higher education. Without adequate funding and resources, these programs may struggle to equip students with the expertise and experience required to enter the workforce.

Investing in these programs is not just about addressing today’s challenges — it is about safeguarding the future of Louisiana. By increasing the number of trained mental health professionals, we can improve outcomes for children and families, reduce the strain on emergency services and foster healthier, more resilient communities.

It is time to prioritize the mental health of our state by supporting higher education programs that make a difference. Together, we can build a brighter, healthier future.

MATTHEW THORNTON

chief executive officer, Center for Children and Families, Inc.

There were so many big political stories in 2024 that my initial list ran well past the usual dozen or so items. I considered trying to convince my colleagues that a column on the year’s top 17 political stories would be clickbait gold, but then I remembered I’m decades older than most of them and know nothing of how clickbait actually works.

My only recourse was to lump quasi-related stories together to pare down my list to the requisite 10. Even then, at least half of the stories that made the cut involve Gov. Jeff Landry. It’s been that kind of year.

1. Jeff Landry’s power grabs — The Man Who Would Be Kingfish got busy in his first year as governor, stirring things up in everybody’s pond. I noted soon after he took office that he was attempting a Huey Long-style power grab. Now, less than a year later, a compliant GOP-dominated Legislature has given him a weaker public records law and absolute control of the most important state boards and commissions, particularly the higher-education boards and the ethics board. Lawmakers also gave him a Sword of Damocles over the state Supreme Court, the Public Service Commission, the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education and the state’s GOP congressional delegation by subjecting them all to party primaries beginning in 2026. Anyone who represents a conservative district (which is most of them) will be “primaried” on the GOP side if they don’t toe Landry’s line. And he’s just getting started.

2. Louisiana’s insurance crisis — The irony of the second-biggest story of the year is that Landry and lawmakers did so little about it — beyond making it easier for insurance companies to raise rates, under the unproven theory that it will increase competition and somehow lower rates … eventually. Landry failed to call a special session to deal with the crisis and then vetoed the most important “tort reform” bill that lawmakers passed — handing his trial lawyer friends (read: campaign contributors) a big win.

3. Redistricting — Under pressure from federal lawsuits (and with Landry’s support), lawmakers created a second majority-Black congressional district and a second majority-Black Supreme Court district. This story isn’t over, however; the congressional map faces a court challenge.

4. Criminal justice reforms undone — As promised, the governor called lawmakers into a special session on crime. They promptly rolled back criminal justice reforms that a bipartisan majority of lawmakers approved in 2017. The new “tough on crime” laws guarantee that taxpayers will ultimately pay hundreds of millions of dollars more every year to fund prisons — one of Louisiana’s few growth industries.

5. Landry’s tax package passes, sort of — He didn’t get everything he wanted, but he got what he wanted most: a flat, 3% personal income tax. It’s not tax reform, though. To keep the plan in balance, Landry agreed to raising the state sales tax to 5%. Ironically, poor people won’t be the only ones paying more. Big, out-of-state corporations also will take a hit, despite a nominal reduction in their income tax rate from 7.5% to 5.5% — thanks to Landry and lawmakers eliminating corporate income tax loopholes.

6. The Senate steps up — State senators, led by Senate President Cameron Henry, R-Metairie, killed or watered down some of Jeff Landry’s most egregious proposals in his first year as governor — most notably the governor’s repeated attempts to call a quickie constitutional convention. Henry earned widespread praise for his stewardship of the upper chamber throughout the year, particularly for rescuing Landry’s tax plan in the November special session.

7. Sid Edwards wins BR mayor-president’s race — Republican Edwards, a high school football coach with no previous political experience, unseated Democratic two-term East Baton Rouge Parish mayor-president Sharon Weston Broome in a Dec. 7 runoff. Edwards is the first Republican to win the Capital City mayor-president’s job in nearly a quarter-century, and he did it in convincing fashion by capturing 54% of the vote.

8. Henry Whitehorn wins Caddo do-over — Democrat Whitehorn had to prove his worthiness twice to become Caddo Parish’s first Black sheriff. He won by a single vote last year, but the courts tossed that outcome and forced a do-over in March of this year. Whitehorn, a former head of the Louisiana State Police and former Shreveport police chief, garnered a convincing 53% of the vote in his second head-to-head race against Republican John Nickelson. Turnout for the do-over was significantly higher than the 2023 runoff, proving that Whitehorn’s one-vote margin last year was no fluke.

9. Lafayette school system in crisis — Addled by declining enrollment and soaring insurance costs, the Lafayette Parish School Board faces a $38 million budget challenge in the current academic year. A consultant hired by the board recommended large-scale school closures and consolidations, but board members last month bowed to public pressure and refused to implement most of those recommendations. Instead, the administration has announced a temporary hiring freeze across all departments.

10. LaToya Cantrell in feds’ sights — New Orleans’ globe-trotting mayor began to look more and more like a target of federal investigators after the feds indicted her bodyguard and a favored city contractor in separate cases. She’s handling the pressure well, however, by maintaining a busy travel schedule at taxpayers’ expense. Meanwhile, the New Orleans City Council filled the Big Easy’s leadership void and challenged Cantrell on several fronts. The council’s latest move was a vote to sidetrack Cantrell’s attempt to give a long-term French Quarter trash collection contract to a political ally who has no experience in trash collection. The French Quarter — and Cantrell — will no doubt draw lots of media attention during the Super Bowl, which New Orleans hosts on Feb. 9. Voters hope both will clean up in time for the big event.

And 2025 promises even more “interesting times.”

Happy holidays, y’all.