Just a few months ago, Louisiana’s teachers were basking in praise for helping students . Now those same educators are staring down a pay cut.
Annual $2,000 stipends that teachers received for the past two years are set to expire after this school year ends, as are $1,000 stipends for school support staff. Gov. Jeff Landry’s spending plan for next fiscal year does not include the stipends.
This week, several state lawmakers said they won’t allow the state’s public school teachers — whose salaries lag the regional average by thousands of dollars — to endure a $2,000 pay cut when Louisiana’s education system is on the rise.
“There's just no way that we can discontinue what they have received for the past two years,” said Rep. Jason Hughes, D-New Orleans, during a House budget hearing this week. “From my perspective, we have a moral obligation to ensure that, at a minimum,” educator pay remains constant.
But to pay for stipends again next school year, the Legislature must find nearly $200 million at a moment when federal funding that Louisiana relies on could be slashed and when a “standstill” budget and a state hiring freeze to rein in spending. With tax increases unlikely, lawmakers might have to scrap other expenditures to keep educator pay from falling.
“Based on the numbers I got, I'm going to have to make significant reductions in other areas of the budget to do that,” said Rep. Jack McFarland, R-Jonesboro, who chairs the House Appropriations Committee. “I think it can be done, but it's going to be very challenging.”
Some lawmakers from Landry's marquee education program, LA GATOR, which will give families tax dollars to pay for private education. Landry undoubtedly would oppose that cut.
“That program means a lot to him,” said State Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley. “Clearly we would hate to see a reduction to the governor's key priority for education.”
Landry's spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.
Another option is to reintroduce a constitutional amendment that Landry championed but , which would have unlocked enough funding for most school districts to boost teacher pay. However, many observers doubt that the amendment process could be completed before the new fiscal year begins July 1.
With the legislative session starting Monday and a budget due just over two months later, Landry and lawmakers will have to get creative to protect teachers’ pay.
“Everything is on the table,” McFarland said.
Competing plans to fund teacher pay
Compared to their peers, Louisiana teachers are underpaid.
With average salaries of about $54,200 in 2023, they earned roughly $5,000 less than the regional average and $15,000 less than the national average, compiled by the Southern Regional Education Board, a nonprofit research group.
Instead of raising teacher salaries, Louisiana has for several years given them annual stipends. Last fall, Landry and lawmakers devised a way to fund lasting raises by revising the constitution.
Amendment 2 would have used education trust funds to pay down teacher retirement debt, creating savings that school districts could spend on teacher pay. But the pay plan was one of dozens of constitutional changes embedded in the amendment, which voters rejected along with three other amendments by wide margins last month.
“The voters spoke loud and clear, and now we have to move forward,” Hughes said in an interview Friday. “But our teachers should not be collateral damage.”
He said he would prefer to give teachers permanent raises, but would support another year of stipends. He argued that the state could pull money from its reserves to free up funding for teachers.
“Contrary to popular opinion, we’re actually in a very good fiscal position,” he said.
But Landry, who campaigned for Amendment 2 and on “far left liberals,” has insisted that a constitutional change is the only way to fund lasting raises.
"Regrettably,” he said in this week, no other “recurring resources exist to fund the permanent salary increase you deserve.”
Bills by Rep. Julie Emerson, R-Carencro, and Rep. Josh Carlson, R-Lafayette, would revive the parts of Amendment 2 that funded teacher raises. However, another statewide vote on constitutional changes is unlikely before this fall or next spring, well after the budget must be complete, lawmakers and observers said.
“I don't know if we can get all that done, get it on the ballot, get it passed and get it all through in time,” McFarland said.
If they can't find enough money to boost pay indefinitely, lawmakers could fund another round of stipends — though several said they'd prefer to avoid that route.
“The goal of the amendment was to make it a permanent raise so we don't have to do this every year,” said Senate President Cameron Henry, R-Metairie. “You don't want to have teachers coming back every single year saying, ‘Can I please have my stipend?’”
Even if they cut other budget items — including part of Landry’s pet program, LA GATOR — McFarland said it isn’t clear they could find the $198 million needed to maintain the current stipends.
“Maybe we get a third, maybe we can come up with a half,” he said. “Maybe all of it.”
As Landry and lawmakers enter budget talks divided over how to keep teacher pay steady, much less provide raises, they appear to agree on one thing: Teachers have earned a financial reward.
“I know it’s going to be an uphill battle,” said Rep. Barbara Freiberg, R-Baton Rouge, who is on the House appropriation and education committees. “But I’m hoping people will look at the job that’s been done and say, ‘This is worthy of finding money to fund.’”
Staff writer Elyse Carmosino provided reporting.