In Louisiana’s tax reform special session, House Bill 5 has advanced from the House Education Committee that would require school systems to increase pay for teachers and support staff. State Representative Ken Brass, D-Vacherie, LA, spoke in favor of the bill. “I think it’s critical that we continue to put our teachers and support staff in the forefront as we’re deciding salary and wages.” As Brooke Thorington with Louisiana Public Radio reports, teachers would receive a permanent $2,000 pay increase and support staff $1,000. Currently they are receiving a stipend of those amounts.
Lawmakers hope to cover the cost through House Bill 7. The Louisiana State House voted 81-15 on Tuesday in support of the measure. The bill now heads to the Senate. HB7 is a proposed amendment which would revise Article VII of the Louisiana State Constitution. As such, it would require voter approval.
According to reporting from Piper Hutchinson with the Louisiana Illuminator, final passage of HB5 and HB7 would allow for spending of otherwise constitutionally protected funds. Those funds would pay down roughly $2 billion of debt in the teacher retirement system. The legislation would then require school districts to divert their normal payments to pay down that debt, to pay for the raises instead.
Hutchinson quotes former teacher Rep. Barbara Freiberg, R-Baton Rouge, who cautioned that using those normally protected funds would lead to the elimination of 1,500 seats in early childhood education programs.
The current average annual salary for teachers in Louisiana stands at $52,376. The state ranks #46 in the country for teacher pay in 2024. That’s according to the non-profit data analysis website Data Pandas. By comparison, Arkansas ranks #44, while Texas ranks #25.
