Before the regular session of the Louisiana Legislature begins in the coming weeks, a proposal to give teachers and support personnel a pay increase has been received by the legislature from Governor John Bel Edwards.
The governor’s proposal calls for a package of $140 million spending increases as part of a total $3.8 billion public school financing proposal.
Of the increases, $1,000.00 in salary raises will be given to teachers while $500.00 will be given to support staff. The remaining $39 million will be divided among the school districts to be used at their discretion.
“Teachers are one of the most underappreciated professions,” the governor said. “We ask an awful lot from them, and quite often we don’t provide the resources necessary to support them.”
Some within the state’s teachers’ unions have reservations about the proposal. “We don’t think it’s enough. Obviously, nobody does. But we think it’s a step in the right direction,” said Debbie Meaux, president of the Louisiana Association of Educators union.
The state’s Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) gave its unanimous backing on Wednesday, the legislature will pick up the issue when the session begins on April 8.
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TONY MARKS Associate Editor