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Louisiana’s official state budget deficit estimate for the next fiscal year has shrunk from $558.8 million to $338.9 million after excluding stipends for school teachers and support staff, Louisiana Illuminator reports.
The most recently calculated $338.9 million projection assumes Gov. Jeff Landry and state lawmakers will not renew a $2,000 stipend for public school teachers and $1,000 for school support staff that has been issued the past two years. The stipends cost a total of $199 million, according to the latest budget cycle.
The calculation also excludes differential pay bumps for teachers with hard-to-fill jobs in math, science and at schools serving predominantly low-income families as well as funding for tutoring programs.
Add the school expenses back and the budget deficit for the fiscal year that starts next July jumps to $587 million, according to state budget director Ternisa Hutchinson, who spoke at a legislative budget hearing Friday.
Legislative leaders say they will still look at renewing the teachers pay stipend, even if it isn’t part of the official budget estimate.
