Governor Edwards Proposes a Laughable Pay Raise for Teachers
Governor John Bel Edwards recently posted news on Twitter about a proposed pay raise for Louisiana teachers.
Louisiana teachers rank at the bottom percentage of paid educators in the country. 2019 Louisiana State Teacher of the Year Spencer Kiper told KPLC Louisiana teachers are suffering from low wages, and any progress towards bridging the pay gap with other states is a step in the right direction.
Kiper went on to say that Louisiana teachers have been let down for years with no pay raises and deserve to rewarded for their hard work.
Governor Edwards is proposing a $400 pay raise. Teachers get paid once a month, and when you break it down, that's only $28 extra on a paycheck. In my opinion, this isn't enough. This pay raise wouldn't even be enough for teachers to fill up their gas tank to full once a month to get to school.
This is why we lose very talented teachers to other states like Texas every year. If we're in the bottom, let's make a drastic change. Let's do it for our kids, Governor Edwards. Let's invest in the future of our state now. I don't want to come off as a Debby Downer but come on, this is a ridiculous proposal.
For the life of me, I can't understand why people would choose to be educators these days. Not only do they have to deal with kids who aren't properly disciplined at home and parents who are depending on teachers to teach their kids how to listen, learn, and be respectful, but on top of that, they also have to deal with being severely underpaid. No thank you, Louisiana.
Governor Edwards, you need to go back to the drawing board and come back with a number that shows you truly support and value our educators. I remember when you were running for your first election, you said you had the teachers' backs because your wife was an educator and you had to sleep next to her every night, so it was in your best interest to make sure teachers were taken care of. They did their part and voted for you, now it's time for you to hold up your end of the bargain.