Lawmakers unanimously pass bill to raise stipend for Louisiana teachers
Published 11:57 pm Friday, November 22, 2024
- Flags are laid on out on the lawn of the Louisiana State Capitol to represent the Louisianans who have died in the nation's wars. (Facebook / Gov. John Bel Edwards)
The Louisiana senate on Sunday voted to approve $48 billion in budget bills, and restored funding for a $2,000 stipend to teachers requiring school districts to use newly freed funds to raise teachers pay.
The state senate voted 39-0 in favor of the bill that allows public school systems to increase teacher pay by $2,000 and support staff pay by $1,000, with savings expected to be pulled from another piece of proposed legislation.
The house had earlier advocated for the reduction of teacher stipends but the senate restored the full amount Governor Jeff Landry had proposed, and the house voted in unison.
In a video message, Landry, said higher teacher salaries were interlinked with his plan to overhaul the state’s tax system and make other fiscal changes.”We fixed the fiscal cliff by cutting state debt,” he said in a video message Friday. “In turn, we were able to give our teachers a permanent pay raise — a much-deserved win for our unsung heroes.”
It had seemed recently that the legislature would maintain the current funding of $24 million a year for early childhood programs, which are credited with helping to set children up for future success.
The votes came as lawmakers completed their version of the state budget for fiscal 2025, which starts on July 1. The budget is expected to get to Gov. Landry for his consideration.
These restoration of the stipends include —one-time payments of $2,000 to K-12 teachers at public schools and $1,000 to support staff members– after the state’s Revenue Estimating Conference raised its tax-revenue estimates, giving lawmakers up to $197 million more money to spend in this fiscal year and $88 million more next year.
Lawmakers also voted to move $717 million from a state trust fund for revenue stabilization to increase spending on transportation projects, maintenance of facilities on college campuses and public safety efforts.
The house and the senate could not agree on the details of a $209 million budget bill for the judiciary, including possible raises for judges.
A conference committee of house and senate members will need to decide on that before the session ends on Monday.
