BATON ROUGE — A new report from the Baton Rouge Alliance for Students shows that parents of students in East Baton Rouge Parish Schools feel teachers should be the top priority, with school safety also being an essential aspect of a prosperous school.

More than 100 Baton Rouge parents participated in focus groups, an open house and an online survey conducted in partnership with Franklin Associates between July and September 2026 to get a more accurate outlook on how parents feel about area schools.

Parents surveyed identified recruiting and retaining effective teachers as the most important spending priority, as well as saying strong academics define school quality. 

School safety was second among 10 priorities, raising concerns about bullying, violence and the need for secure learning environments, the report adds.

Basic student needs should not be overlooked, parents surveyed said, with concerns about reliable transportation and nutritious school meals underscoring the existing barriers to learning.

More than half of parents say student-centered decision-making as the most important quality in a school board member.

The full report can be found here.