Louisiana Lawmakers Greenlight Governor’s Plan to Pay Teachers’ One-Time Stipends

On Wednesday, June 24, Louisiana lawmakers in both the State House and Senate voted to approve Governor Jeff Landry’s plan to redirect $168 million from the K-12 public school funding formula to pay the one-time stipends of teachers and support workers. Those stipends once again total $2,000 for teachers and $1,000 for support staff.
When Landry issued the executive order, on June 2, for the stipends the governor declared, “I promised Louisiana's teachers a pay raise, and today we're delivering.” He added, "For too long, teachers have been used as political pawns. That ends now."
The lawmakers’ votes cleared the two-third majority requirement in both legislative chambers of the Louisiana State Legislature late Wednesday morning. The Louisiana Senate voted 37-1, while the House voted 76-8.
The votes come despite a temporary restraining order (TRO), issued June 18, by District Court Judge Richard Moore, of the 19^th Circuit, to delay the governor’s executive order.
That ruling is a response to a lawsuit filed by public school advocates who oppose the governor’s plan. A court hearing on the matter is scheduled for Monday. In a statement, Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill responded to the TRO that same day by saying it was improperly granted:
(1)"…A court cannot stop an action that already occurred (because it’s happened already). So any part of a TRO issued today purporting to block that action (that occurred days ago) has no legal effect."
(2) "The TRO has no effect whatsoever on the legislative ballot process. The legislature is not (and cannot be) a defendant."
A new survey also reveals strong opposition to the plan from teachers, largely because it calls for local school districts to shoulder the financial burden alone.
As Louisiana Public Radio reports, the Louisiana Federation of Teachers and school employees conducted the survey this month. It found nearly 70% of respondents do support continuing the stipend for another year to prevent a pay cut.
But two-thirds of teachers surveyed don’t approve of the governor’s plan that would redirect existing school funding to pay for it by making budget cuts, or by dipping into their reserves, if they have enough funds available.
The lawsuit, filed last week was filed by public school advocates. It contends that that the governor lacked the authority to reallocate the money, but is up to the legislature. A hearing is scheduled for Monday, June 29. The teachers' union is calling on lawmakers to oppose the governor’s executive order and come up with a different solution.