Louisiana’s Senate on Thursday approved a multi-billion spending plan for next year, adopting a series of budget bills that provide pay raises for public school teachers, invests millions more in higher education, and divides a massive windfall in federal coronavirus aid.
The Senate advanced the $37 billion spending plan weeks ahead of its June 10 adjournment, a far cry from previous sessions when lawmakers would pass the budget with minutes to spare.
The House concurred with the spending plan Thursday night with little debate.
The operating budget which now heads to Gov. John Bel Edwards includes pay raises for K-12 public school teachers and support staff, college faculty, prison guards, juvenile justice workers and other rank-and-file state employees. Public school teachers would get an $800 pay raise, while support staff like bus drivers and cafeteria workers would see their salaries bumped by $400. That’s twice what Edwards proposed in his initial budget — but falls short of the $1,000 raises for teachers and $800 raises for support staff that legislative leadership promised.
Louisiana State University would be required to spend $4 million of its increase for campus lighting and security improvements amid a sexual misconduct scandal and complaints about the school’s handling of safety issues.
Louisiana’s entry-level prison guards also scored a 10% pay raise in the budget after department heads pleaded with lawmakers for new incentives to stem a sky-high turnover rate among staff.
