BATON ROUGE - Lawmakers are pushing to close the pay gap between Louisiana teachers and other Southern states.

The "Teacher Pay Modernization Act," or HB 558, would require school districts to steadily raise teacher pay to match the regional average.

As part of the proposal, the Department of Education must submit a report outlining average pay statewide. Districts would then have a four-year period to gradually adjust teacher salaries.

The bill also explicitly says funds must go to increasing base pay rather than one-time stipends and bonuses.