BATON ROUGE - It's nothing new that Louisiana's teachers are asking for more money. Friday morning, Gov. John Bel Edwards told the legislature he agrees and says it's time to pay teachers more.

"My request to the legislature is for $3,000 raise for the hardworking teachers across our state who have proven over and over again just how invaluable they are," Edwards said.

He also says a raise of this amount is something that hasn't been done in a long time.

"As far back as I can look, they've never received a $3,000 raise," Edwards said. 

Last May, the legislature gave teachers a $1,500 raise, instead of the $2,000 Edwards proposed.

In Louisiana, public school teachers make roughly $56,000. There's also a teacher shortage, and Tia Mills, the President of the Louisiana Association of Educators, says a lot of that has to do with pay.

"It is simply not enough to support their families," Mills said in a press conference last May.

Edwards hopes this pay raise will fix that.

Friday night, the LAE says this new proposal from the Governor is a "step in the right direction."

Read the statement here:

“The governor’s proposed educator pay raises announced today are a step in the right direction towards getting us closer to the southern regional average of pay. While no one can put a price tag on what educators do every day, I appreciate Governor John Bel Edwards prioritizing educators with the state’s surplus funds.”

-D’Shay Oaks; Vice President of the Louisiana Association of Educators.