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Constitutional Amendment 3 could fund Louisiana teacher raises by paying down retirement debt
BATON ROUGE - Teachers and support staff have complained for years of low pay, and for several years, lawmakers have provided them with one-time stipends. On May 16, voters could decide whether to fully fund a pay bump for teachers, but some educators are opposed to the way the change would be implemented.
Louisiana currently ranks near the bottom nationally in teacher pay, with a teacher's average annual salary being nearly $56,000, according to a survey by World Population Review. It's a factor that's driving teachers to leave the profession and the state. Constitutional Amendment 3 touts increasing teachers' salaries by $2,250.
At the ballot box, voters will decide whether to "dissolve three education trust funds and use the money to pay down retirement debt," giving public school teachers and support staff a permanent raise.
Daniel Erspamer, CEO of the Pelican Institute, said it's a win-win idea and that it's something everyone should agree on and champion. He said that it's a way to pay down debt and make the previous stipends permanent.
"[The Constitutional Amendment] takes monies that have been locked up in the State Constitution, dedicated for education that's not earning a whole lot in interest, to pay off a substantial amount of teacher retirement debt, held by local school boards," Espamer said.
The amendment would dissolve the following trust funds: the Louisiana Education Quality Trust Fund, the Louisiana Quality Education Support Fund, and the Education Excellence Fund.
Those against the amendment don't see dissolving the three trust funds as an option, saying that the state needs to find another way to pay for statewide raises, instead of taking money intended for other initiatives.
"We can find funds for everything that we want to do, and this needs to be something that we want to do," Civil Rights attorney Alfreda Tillman Bester said.
In a joint statement, the Louisiana Federation of Teachers and School Employees and the Louisiana Association of Educators supported the amendment. Both teachers' unions said the amendment would be a step towards the pay increases that school employees deserve.
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