As the 2025 Louisiana Legislative Session approaches its June 12 adjournment, your active engagement is critical. The House has included $198 million in the state budget for $2,000 stipends for teachers and $1,000 for support staff. However, these funds are not guaranteed until the session officially ends.
Chairman Jack McFarland and the House deserve recognition for preventing immediate pay cuts after the defeat of Constitutional Amendment 2 in March. Their creative budgeting is a first step toward avoiding a pay cut in the 2025-26 school year. However, it is important to note that this is not a permanent pay raise—these are one-time stipends funded with temporary dollars.
đź“© Click here to send a letter to the Senate urging them to VOTE YES for educator pay!
The budget now moves to the Senate, where significant changes are likely. If the Senate reduces or removes the educator stipends, you will receive a pay cut. Any differences between the House and Senate budgets will be resolved in a conference committee—a process that often lacks transparency and can result in funding being quietly cut.
Beyond the immediate stipend, Governor Landry’s administration is pursuing a renewed version of Constitutional Amendment 2 through House Bill 466 (Rep. Josh Carlson) and House Bill 473 (Rep. Julie Emerson). These bills would make the stipend a permanent part of educator compensation by paying off a portion of the state’s debt to the Teachers Retirement System of Louisiana (TRSL) and mandating that the local school systems use the savings to make the stipend permanent.
Larry Carter, President of the Louisiana Federation of Teachers, testified before the Senate Education Committee on May 21, 2025, expressing support for HB 466’s intent but raising critical concerns about implementation safeguards and the need for true pay raises.
“Unlike HB 5 from the November Special Session, the accompanying legislation(HB 466) lacks specific language guaranteeing eligible educators receive these increases,” Carter warned. “We cannot rely on good intentions alone when it comes to educators’ paychecks, especially after witnessing the problematic implementation of Act 311, the disregard for the planning time law, and other instances where legislative intent was ignored.”
Carter emphasized a crucial point: “Despite some calling this a “pay raise,” it is not. For the past two years, educators’ paychecks have remained stagnant as insurance costs, groceries, and inflation have risen. Louisiana students are “achieving the highest testing scores in a generation,” according to Governor Landry, yet the educators responsible for these gains face shrinking buying power while other states make educator pay raises a priority.”
Instead of treating educator pay as a key investment in our economy, decision-makers often use stipends and raises as bargaining chips, forcing a false choice between paying educators fairly and funding other education needs. Educators are frustrated with their salaries being used as leverage in political debates. If lawmakers re-examined the $7.5 billion allocated for economic development incentives, they could adequately fund early education, K-12 education, and higher education—without cutting existing programs.
Even if this Constitutional Amendment passes, educators will only avoid a pay cut, while other states in the Southern Region and across the nation are prioritizing educator pay raises. With new recurring revenue recognized last week, making at least a portion of the stipend a true pay raise should be considered.
Throught this legislative session, President Carter urged Appropriations, Senate Finance, House Ed and Senate Ed Committees to recognize your dedication and hard work, saying:
“The choice before this committee and the legislature extends beyond simply preventing a pay reduction. It’s about whether Louisiana will continue to allow its educators’ compensation to stagnate while celebrating the remarkable academic progress they’ve helped our students achieve. I urge you to recognize that maintaining the status quo is insufficient—our educators deserve a genuine increase that acknowledges their contributions and the rising cost of living.”
Thank you for your continued dedication and hard work for our students and schools. As the legislative session nears its end, your voice is more important than ever in shaping the future of educator compensation in Louisiana.
Email your Senator as soon as possible and share these key messages:
- The educator stipend must remain in the budget—removing it would result in an immediate pay cut for teachers and support staff.
- House Bill 466 needs clear safeguards to guarantee that all eligible educators receive the stipend, not just vague promises.
- Legislators should consider using some of the newly recognized recurring revenue to provide a permanent pay raise for educators, not just a one-time stipend.
Your advocacy can make a real difference. Please take a moment to contact your Senator and ensure your voice is heard on these critical issues. Thank you for standing up for all Louisiana educators and students.
đź“© Click here to send a letter to the Senate urging them to VOTE YES for educator pay!