PAY RAISE FOR LA. TEACHERS? — Pay for Louisiana’s public school teachers need to be raised. That’s what State Superintendent of Education John White said last week during public radio WRKF’s Talk Louisiana program. White also said teacher pay in Louisiana has slipped below the regional average.
The latest figures compiled by the Southern Regional Education Board, for the 2015-16 school year, show Louisiana teachers are paid an average of $49,244 compared to almost $51,000 regional average. The national average is $58,064. White says that teachers are not only being lured away to teach in other states, but in-demand/would-be science, math and technology teachers are being recruited by corporations.
“Where we are short is not just competing with Mississippi and Texas, it’s competing with Exxon, Chevron, and all these extraordinary organizations that recruit math and science majors into their organizations and pay them lucrative salaries. We are not keeping up with the demand of other industries.”
Gov. John Bel Edwards has said he hopes to recommend to lawmakers an increase in public school financing next year that would help pay for teacher raises.
