Potential Pay Reduction Ahead for Louisiana Teachers

• Louisiana teachers are expected to face pay reductions next year due to a state budget shortfall and the rejection of a constitutional amendment intended to provide funding for stipends.
• According to the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, fully funding the $2,000 teacher stipends would exacerbate the budget deficit, possibly resulting in cuts to healthcare and higher education.
• Governor Jeff Landry, who backed the unsuccessful amendment, admits the difficulty in securing recurring funds for teacher salary increases.
• There remains a small chance for teachers to receive one-time raises if state revenues surpass forecasts during the budget cycle.

Teachers in Louisiana are likely to experience a salary cut next year following a state budget deficit and the failure of an amendment that would have allotted annual stipends.

Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, Jack McFarland, stated that the preliminary draft of next year’s budget will omit the $2,000 stipend for teachers and the $1,000 stipend for support staff that both had received in the prior two years.

“I’m making every effort to find a way to offer some salary increase for teachers, but securing $2,000 at this juncture isn’t feasible,” McFarland remarked in a discussion with USA Today Network.

He noted that funding the full stipends would require an additional $200 million, doubling the budget shortfall to approximately $400 million, which would necessitate cuts to critical sectors like healthcare and higher education.

According to McFarland, both his committee and other members of the House lack the willingness to provide the full teacher stipends if it adversely affects healthcare and higher education funding.

The budget hearings are currently underway as the Legislature commenced its Regular Legislative Session on Monday.

Governor Jeff Landry had aimed to secure teacher stipends by modifying the Louisiana Constitution to access presently allocated funds; however, voters decisively rejected the proposed amendment in March.

Last week, Landry issued an open letter to educators.

“Unfortunately, with the setback from Amendment 2, we must start over as there are no alternative recurring resources available to fund the permanent salary increases you rightfully deserve,” Landry stated. “It’s essential we collaborate on sound financial budgeting that safeguards the taxpayer and appropriately compensates you. My door is always open to finding a solution that achieves both.”

Teachers may still have a chance for one-time raises approaching the $2,000 stipends if state revenues exceed current estimates, a determination to be made during the Revenue Estimating Conference committee’s meeting in May.

This timing may be too late for the House budget draft, but the Senate could potentially incorporate the new funds into its appropriation plan, as occurred last year.

Meanwhile, McFarland hopes to at least include a $1,000 stipend for teachers to partially bridge the gap to last year’s compensation.

“I believe our educators deserve any increase that is feasible, particularly since we’ve seen an improvement in school performance scores across the state,” McFarland affirmed. “However, we find ourselves in a challenging situation.”

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Greg Hilburn covers state politics for the USA TODAY Network of Louisiana. Follow him on Twitter @GregHilburn1.