Lafayette Parish Teachers to Receive Raises, Bonus Check if Committee Gets Their Way

Officials with a committee looking into several things related to the Lafayette Parish School System are suggesting a pay raise for teachers according to the Daily Advertiser.

The blue-ribbon committee of educators, district employees, and administrators is suggesting that Lafayette officials give teachers a $750 pay increase next year, and then also give them a one-time check of $2,830.56.

Intermin Superintendent Francis Touchet is quoted as saying the money is there for this raise from the 2002 sales tax. He says an increase in sales tax over the past several years leads him to believe that now is the time to give this raise.

Touchet also cautions that if Lafayette Parish doesn't raise pay then "we will lose teachers to other parishes like St. Tammany Parish who pay their educators more." He says it is imperative that we make this move now, otherwise we will be on the losing end of another teacher shortage.

Touchet was quoted as saying,

We have to get this up to $50,000. We have to look at how we're competing not around here, it's about what's happening in some of those bigger districts that are stealing these teachers.

He says to be competitive with other districts we have to get the base salary up. There were four different plans that the committee reviewed, and they have decided to recommend this one to the school board.

The one-time payment comes from leftover money collected through the 2002 sales tax that was not used for other expenses. These payments have been common through the years.

We will wait to see what the Lafayette Parish School Board decides to do. We will keep you posted.