According to research from the Public Affairs Research Council, the average public school teacher salary in Louisiana is $52,472, more than $12,000 below the national average. PAR President Steven Procopio says teacher salaries in Louisiana are also below the southern regional average.
“So anywhere from Texas, Georgia on the high end, and then there’s really only Mississippi, Florida, and Arkansas that have teacher salaries lower than ours,” said Procopio.
As for how long Louisiana can get away with subpar teacher pay remains to be seen. Procopio said the million-dollar question is what is it that we have to pay to get and keep quality teachers.
“And I think you can always pay more. Given that we’re behind I think there’s been a lot of support for increasing teacher pay,” said Procopio.
Procopio said there’s also an equity issue when it comes to teacher salary in Louisiana. He said typically educators in larger cities make more than those in smaller towns, and in some cases, those in rural areas make just over half the state average.
“Not only do we compete with other states, but we also have to make sure that all the children are able to have access to a quality education,” said Procopio.
Since 2019, public school teachers have received $3,300 in salary hikes and for the upcoming school year, teachers will receive an additional $2,000 dollars.
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