Purpose of the Migrant Education Program

Funds support high quality education programs for migratory children and help ensure that migratory children who move among the states are not penalized in any manner by disparities among states in curriculum, graduation requirements, or state academic content and student academic achievement standards. Funds also ensure that migratory children not only are provided with appropriate education services (including supportive services) that address their special needs but also that such children receive full and appropriate opportunities to meet the same challenging state academic content and student academic achievement standards that all children are expected to meet. Federal funds are allocated by formula to SEAs, based on each state’s per pupil expenditure for education and counts of eligible migratory children, age 3 through 21, residing within the state.

Meet our statewide LMEP staff below or visit the contact page to see LMEP staff across the state.

Meet our Staff

  • Melanie Mayeux

    State Director of Migrant Education

    Melanie Mayeux has been with the Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) for 14 years. A native of Baton Rouge, she returned home after 31 years in Houston to coordinate the LDOE’s newly funded GED/ESL grant program for 16-21 year olds in 2007. In the summer of 2008, she moved into Federal Programs as a member of the Migrant Education Program and later became the State’s Title III coordinator. In the fall of 2012, she was named State Director of Migrant Education and also serves as a section Manager in the Federal Programs Office.

    As a current member of the Federal Programs staff, she continues her leadership roles in Title III and Migrant Education and was named Point of Contact for Foster Care in the fall of 2016. In these roles, Melanie has had the opportunity to participate in several important initiatives, including serving as a current member of the LDOE’s diverse learner’s academic strategies policy work group, serving as the State Superintendent’s representative on a legislative task force to develop a proposal to raise the age of children served in foster care to 2, and the revision of the LDOE’s ESL Administrators Handbook. Nationally, she serves on the National Title I Board’s English Learner Subcommittee, served as the representative for the Office of Migrant Education’s southwest regional workgroup for 3 years, and served as Chair of the planning committee for National Association of State Directors of Migrant Education (NASDME) annual meeting, held in New Orleans in May 2019. Melanie has a BA in History and a Master’s in Education from the University of Houston.

  • Laurie Stewart

    Laurie Stewart

    LMEP Specialist
    Laurie Stewart is the Specialist for the Louisiana Migrant Education Program (LMEP).  Before her current role as LMEP Specialist, she served as Assistant State Director, State Services Coordinator, State ID&R Coordinator, Regional Recruiter for the state, and district recruiter for Terrebonne Parish. Her work with the Migrant Education Program followed 17 years in the classroom as an elementary teacher.  Her duties as LMEP Specialist include providing her expertise and years of experience in the LMEP for for all MEP processes and procedures in the state.

    (225) 369-0560

  • Traci Tucker

    Traci Tucker

    Data Coordinator

    Traci Tucker is the Data Coordinator for Louisiana Migrant Education Program. She is responsible for working with all districts in the state to ensure that all data is correct and reported in a timely manner. She also works with the state and OME databases to constantly enhance the programs which gather and report the data for the Migrant Education students in the state. As Data Manager, she assists in providing data for use in all state and federal reporting.

    (225) 310-2759

  • Lorena Andrea Roberts

    Lorena Andrea Roberts

    Statewide Recruiter

    Andrea Roberts is the ID&R Coordinator with the Louisiana Migrant Education Program. She is responsible for ensuring all eligible migratory children and youth in the state get recruited in a timely and proper manner. Prior to her current position, she was a Statewide Recruiter and previous to her statewide position, she was a Recruiter and Advocate for St. Martin Parish.

    (225) 372-0419

  • Ively C. Pride

    Ively C. Pride

    Statewide Recruiter

    Ively Pride is a Statewide Recruiter for the Louisiana Migrant Education Program. In her previous position, she worked as a Migrant Education Recruiter and Advocate for St. Martin Parish School District since 2021.

    (337) 680-2282

  • Steven Mora

    Statewide Recruiter

    Steven is a Statewide Recruiter for the Louisiana Migrant Education Program.

    (225) 217-1110

  • Mikayla Rocha

    Statewide Recruiter

    Mikayla Rocha is a Statewide Recruiter for the Louisiana Migrant Education Program.

    (225) 228-1279

  • Matt Flaherty

    Project Manager

    Matt Flaherty is the Project Manager for the ARS LMEP project.

    (207) 632-9186

  • Rachel Jackson

    Family Advocate

    Rachel Jackson is the Family Advocate for the LMEP project. She provides advocacy and support services to migratory children and youth in the low-incidence parishes in Louisiana.

  • Jason Herrera

    OSY Tutor

    Jason Herrera is the OSY Tutor for the LMEP project. He provides instructional and support services to out-of-school youth in Louisiana.

  • Gina Navarre

    K-12 Tutor

    Gina Navarre is the K-12 Tutor for the LMEP project. She provides instructional services to migratory children and youth in the low-incidence parishes in Louisiana.