Governor Jeff Landry tells public school teachers at a press conference that the state will indeed plan to fund a stipend as part of their salary for the next school year. Landry says as lawmakers will approve a budget in the coming days and once the spending plan, hits his desk, they will decide how to pay for the $2,000 stipend for the coming school year.
“I could get the budget, we might be ablet to fix it in 2-3 days, we might be able to see something, maybe it takes longer; I don’t know. I’m just standing here in front of those teachers and saying that I’m committed to trying to find it with the legislature. I can’t do it on my own,” Landry said.
Landry says they have time, because the stipends are not distributed until December.
There is currently no state funding for the stipend or permanent pay raise, because Constitutional Amendment 3 failed at ballot box on May 16th.
Landry also announced the formation of a bipartisan Minimum Foundation Program (MFP) permanent pay raise task force.
“Their job is clear: To deliver a permanent funding solution inside the MFP, on December 31st, so that the upcoming school year is the last year that teachers will have to wonder whether they’re going to get their pay raise or not,” Landry explained.
Senate President Cameron Henry says he will introduce a Senate Concurrent Resolution to study and develop a new MFP formula. Henry says there’s no reason not to find money to increase teacher pay when funding for public education has gone up and student enrollment has declined.
“When you take in the federal portion, which is 1.8, which is not included in the MFP, and the additional resources of local, which totals 6.7, that is $13 billion for public education in Louisiana. There is no way we can’t find a permanent pay raise in those dollars,” Henry said.
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