Many teachers are scoffing at the Governor’s proposed 400 dollar teacher pay raise, calling it far too little. Associated Professional Educators of Louisiana Director Dr. Keith Courville said the Governor needs to add an extra zero to that figure if he wants to rival the pay teachers can find in neighboring states.
“Whenever the people say that there’s not money, they just mean that there’s not money for you because at the same time the Governor is shortchanging teachers the Governor is coming out with a four percent raise for faculty,” said Courville.
The 400 dollar pay raise for teachers and 200 dollar pay raise for support staff will cost the state an additional 40 million dollars a year. The proposal will be debated in the upcoming April legislative session.
Courville said teachers made great sacrifices for the state during the pandemic and this proposal is just a slap in the face.
“This has already been a challenging year and this is just insulting to tell someone that you are going to give them 33 dollars a month after their tireless efforts this year,” said Courville.
Courville said the Governor is not on track to meet his campaign trail promise of getting Louisiana teacher pay up to the southern regional average.
“The Governor and his allies, the status quo coalition, the two teachers unions that supported the Governor they all need to come out and realize that what they are doing to teachers is wrong,” said Courville.
A+PEL is not associated with either of the state’s two major teachers unions, the LAE or LFT, and Courville described the 9,800 member group as the state’s independent, non-partisan teachers association.
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