The Louisiana Senate has unanimously approved House Bill 5 (HB 5), a measure that mandates school districts to use newly available funds to provide permanent pay increases for educators. The bill, passed with a 39-0 vote, directs school districts to raise teacher salaries by $2,000 and support staff pay by $1,000. The legislation now heads to Governor Jeff Landry for approval.
HB 5 is closely tied to House Bill 7 (HB 7), which was also passed by the Senate. HB 7 proposes the elimination of three state education funding pools—the Education Excellence Fund, the Louisiana Education Quality Trust Fund, and the Louisiana Quality Education Support Fund—to reallocate nearly $2 billion toward the Teachers Retirement System of Louisiana. By using these funds to pay down retirement system debt, school districts are expected to save on interest payments, enabling them to finance the pay increases.
The Louisiana Federation of Teachers, the state’s largest teacher union, supports the intent of HB 5 but expressed concerns about the lack of integration of the pay increases into the state’s Minimum Foundation Program. The union’s president, Larry Carter, stated, “We cannot rely on good intentions alone when it comes to our teachers’ and support staff’s paychecks.”