Survey shows nearly 2/3 of teachers oppose Landry’s plan to sustain stipends

A survey of Louisiana teacher union members found nearly two-thirds of respondents oppose Gov. Jeff Landry’s proposal to divert school operations funding to provide another round of pay stipends for public school teachers and support staff.

Results from a Louisiana Federation of Teachers’ survey were made public Monday, a day before a deadline for state lawmakers to approve the governor’s plan through a virtual vote. It will take two-thirds backing from each legislative chamber for Landry to move $168 million from the Minimum Foundation Program, the system that determines how much state money goes to K-12 schools. The MFP money would provide a $2,000 payment for teachers and $1,000 for support personnel in the coming school year.

The governor proposed the redirection of school funding after Louisiana voters rejected a constitutional amendment on the May 16 ballot that would have dissolved three education trust funds to pay off teacher retirement system debt. Local school districts could have then used the money currently used for those debt payments to give their employees a permanent raise, according to the governor and other supporters of the amendment.

The Louisiana Federation of Teachers endorsed the amendment, but 58% of voters opposed the measure last month along with three other proposals Landry supported.

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With just two weeks left in their session after the election, legislators opted not to include a teacher pay raise or money for stipends in the state budget they sent to the governor last month. That spending plan goes into effect July 1. 

K-12 faculty and support workers have received the stipends for the past three years. 

“Teachers and school employees are making their position very clear,” Louisiana Federation of Teachers President Larry Carter said in a news release. “They do not want a pay cut. And they do not want the state to fund their pay by cutting the MFP and shifting the burden onto local school districts, students, and school services.”

Landry’s proposal specifies that no MFP money used directly in the classroom be touched, but local school system leaders have said the governor’s plans would likely have unintended ripple effects. The state funds being tapped are used for expenses such as insurance and building maintenance.

The Louisiana Federation of Teachers represents 21,000 public school employees in the state. The union has not responded to questions about how many of its members were surveyed or how many responded.

The state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education annually sets the amount of state money schools receive through the Minimum Foundation Program. The legislature can then approve or reject the proposal, but it cannot change the dollar amount. 

Landry has called on lawmakers to form a task force to evaluate how the state’s school funding formula is calculated. The governor has complained the math hasn’t been updated to account for shrinking student body totals at K-12 public schools.

“Educators understand that the MFP Task Force is supposed to look at a permanent compensation structure,” Carter said. “But that work will not put money in educators’ paychecks at the start of this school year. If this stipend is meant to be a bridge, then that bridge must be clear, guaranteed, and funded in a way that does not weaken the schools our students depend on.”

Landry’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Landry administration faces a lawsuit from three education advocates who argue the governor and legislature can’t redirect the MFP money. A state judge issued a temporary injunction last week that blocks state officials from moving forward with the governor’s plan at least until a scheduled hearing in the case next Monday. 

The teacher union’s survey results also showed 91% of respondents had concerns that tapping into their MFP funding could lead to staff cuts, larger class sizes, program or service reductions and more pressure on school system budgets. 

“Educators are not only thinking about their own paychecks,” Carter said. “They are thinking about their students, their classrooms, their coworkers, and whether their schools will have the staff and services they need. No teacher or school employee should be forced to choose between their own income and the resources their students depend on.”

The governor’s plan doesn’t cover everyone who’s received stipends the past three years. Landry has said higher-paid administrators don’t need the additional money, but the stipends have also gone to school nurses and counselors who wouldn’t receive the additional pay under the current proposal.