The superintendent of the state’s largest school district is urging legislators to oppose Gov. Jeff Landry’s plan to give teachers one-time bonuses by cutting funding from Louisiana’s public schools.
Landry’s proposal to cut state education funding by nearly $170 million away would cost Jefferson Parish Schools almost $11 million, state estimates show, or about 4.4% of the district’s total budget. In a letter last week, Superintendent James Gray urged lawmakers to vote against the reduction, saying it would strain school system finances.
Jefferson Parish has long faced calls to raise teacher pay, and Gray said in his letter that he supports raises and plans to give his employees pay bumps next year regardless of the stipends. But he warned that cuts to district funding could affect personnel, as well as programs, services and resources that directly support students…