There is a concern public school teachers could see a drop in pay, because Constitutional Amendment 2 did not pass. Passage of that amendment would have made a $2,000 dollar stipend for teachers permanent. Governor Jeff Landry says because the amendment failed, the state currently does not have the money to keep paying those $2,000 dollars.
“We’ll continue to work inside budget to see what we can find, and we’ll see where it ends up. I’m making no commitment on that,” Landry said.
It’s unclear if the state will continue to pay teachers at its current level. If Constitutional Amendment 2 had passed, it would have allowed the state to pay down high-interest pension debt. Landry says that would have freed up dollars to make $2,ooo dollar stipends that teachers first received in 2022 permanent.
“I sent a letter yesterday to every teacher in the State of Louisiana clearing the air on that, because there was a lot of disinformation and outright lies about what the legislature had worked so hard to accomplish,” Landry said.
In a letter to teachers, Landry says it’s back to drawing board, because no alternative recurring resources exist to fund the permanent salary increase teachers deserve. Senate President Cameron Henry says he’s hopeful that as the budget makes its way through legislative process, dollars will emerge to keep teacher pay at its current level.
“Maybe a small one this year, if any at all, and then maybe get some on the back on the ballot in the future and see if we can get a better explanation to folks and they’ll have more faith in what we’re trying to do,” Henry said.
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