A state lawmaker is looking to boost teacher pay to align with the regional average. Monroe Representative Michael Echols’ Teacher Pay Modernization Act would gradually increase teacher pay throughout the state until it reaches the Southern regional average.
“It looks at us raising that average over a 4-year period, starting in 2027-2031, each year raising it by about 25%,” Echols said.
Echols says the state would need to come up with somewhere between $200 million and $600 million to accomplish this. Echols says one element of that involves finding cost-cutting opportunities within the public sector, including the elimination of job positions.
“Part of that is looking at different DOGE efforts, and efforts for cost-cutting and reinvestment of those dollars to get us to that regional average,” Echols explained.
Echols says a lot of the cost-cutting could be mitigated if voters approve Constitutional Amendment 3 in the May 16th election.
“It would be a heck of lot easier if we were able to pass that teacher pay raise, pay down the debt, freeing up the resources for municipalities to make their own investments in teachers’ pay,” Echols noted.
Louisiana teachers earn just under $60,000 a year on average, about $12,000 short of the national average. Echols’ bill will be considered by the House Education Committee.
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