Louisiana’s public school teachers could benefit from next year’s statewide election and the state’s improved financial outlook, as widespread support seems to be coalescing around a proposal for a teacher pay hike.
Gov. John Bel Edwards has made the issue a top priority and frames the salary boost as his top priority for the 2019 legislative session, and lawmakers are signaling their backing of the idea to increase paychecks that have stagnated as school districts have had more difficulty attracting and retaining teachers.
“As I talk to legislators in the House and the Senate, Democrats and Republicans and independents, there seems to be very strong bipartisan support,” the governor says.
Louisiana’s teachers were last paid at the Southern regional average about a decade ago.
The last significant statewide increase was when former Gov. Bobby Jindal and lawmakers raised teacher pay in his first year in office by more than $1,000.
For lawmakers seeking re-election to their seats or another elected job, successfully passing a teacher salary hike also could be a record-booster in local communities, where everyone knows a teacher and where education often ranks as a top issue for voters.
Plus, after a decade of budget gaps and financial uncertainty, Louisiana has one of its most stable fiscal outlooks in years, likely giving Edwards and lawmakers the room to find dollars for a pay raise without having to wade into thorny debates about tax hikes or cuts to pay for them.
