Louisiana school districts teachers to get bonus, raise

LAFAYETTE, La. (AP) — Educators in a southwest Louisiana school system are getting a lump sum bonus check and a raise after its school board unanimously approved both this week.

It’s the second consecutive year that teachers in the Lafayette Parish School System will receive a pay raise, with this year’s amount being $500. The raise will be prorated over the remaining days in the work year beginning Nov. 1, Assistant Superintendent Matt Dugas said during Wednesday’s board meeting, The Advocate reported.

Beginning next school year, educators will get the entire $500 increase added to their salary, school officials said.

At the end of October, teachers also will receive an extra check in the amount of $3,683.52.

The school system will pay both the raise and additional check from excess funds collected from a half-cent sales tax in 2002.

This year’s bonus check will be the largest given to educators by the district. In 2021, the district gave educators an extra check in the amount of $1,646.41 – the sixth highest since 2006 – along with a $750 raise. From 2006 through 2019, the additional bonus check ranged from a low of $380.95 per teacher in 2010 to a high of $2,281.54 in 2013.

Lafayette Parish has one of the lowest average teacher salaries in the state, ranking 50th during the 2020-21 school year, according to the Louisiana Department of Education. Lafayette teachers made an average of $47,679 a year, around $3,300 less than the state average, The Advertiser reported.

The salary increase was recommended by a committee made up of teachers and district officials in September. During that meeting, members brought up concerns about proposing a raise that was too large. On Wednesday, the school board did not discuss the raise much before passing the measure, and there was little public comment.

Lafayette Parish Association of Educators President Julia Reed, who is on the committee, asked the board to vote in favor of the pay increase.

“We are in favor of as much raise as possible,” she said.