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Teacher Pay Increase in Louisiana Announced for 2023-24 School Year by Board of Elementary and Secondary Education

Louisiana – A teacher pay increase in Louisiana has been announced for the 2023-24 school year by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.

The Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) announced on March 8, 2023, that they have unanimously authorized a new statewide K-12 education financing formula for the 2023-24 school year. The revised Minimum Foundation Program (MFP) formula conforms with the Louisiana Department of Education’s recommendations, addressing critical areas such as educator and support staff salaries, workforce development, and operating expenditures.

The MFP also includes a variable compensation component in teacher wages. Teachers will be paid more if they meet specified needs, such as teaching in critical shortage areas or high needs schools, getting highly effective ratings, or taking on additional teacher leadership responsibilities.

“I’m pleased to see our MFP proposal move forward with a market responsive approach for the first time in Louisiana’s history,” said State Superintendent of Education Dr. Cade Brumley. “This will be a statewide game-changer for directly targeting pay towards staffing needs and teacher quality.”

The adopted formula offers wage increases of $2,000 for certified teachers and $1,000 for non-certified school support personnel across the board. Furthermore, BESE approved the inclusion of a differentiated compensation provision for teacher wages, which was established in the MFP formula as a $61 million block grant program. Schools would receive funds under the new provision to fund stipends for teachers working in critical shortage areas as defined by BESE, highly effective teachers as defined by state law and BESE policy, teachers working in schools with an economically disadvantaged student population rate of 85% or higher, and teacher leaders working to support their peers.

“The formula approved by the Board today supports key priorities for K-12 education in Louisiana,” said Dr. Holly Boffy, BESE President. “As the first step in the state’s education funding process, BESE’s passage of the MFP formula provides $257 million in pay raises for teachers, including $2,000 for all teachers and another $60 million to meet our greatest staffing challenges in the classroom. The new MFP also increases aid for schools and districts struggling to cover rising expenses, and supports career and technical education through dedicated funding. We look forward to working with our partners in the legislature throughout the budgeting process to ensure that our students and educators receive the financial support they deserve.”

BESE also allocated an estimated $21.5 million to the MFP to assist school districts in meeting rising operational expenditures. The Board increased the Mandated Expenses Allocation in the formula from $100 to $133 per student to cover health insurance, retirement, transportation, and other operational costs borne by school districts. This indicates the rate of inflation since 2009, the last time this operational component was increased.

The revised MFP also includes a $1.5 million boost to the formula’s Supplementary Course Allocation, which is earmarked to state-approved apprenticeship programs. Funds would be distributed to school districts based on the number of eligible students, with a maximum enrollment of 250 applicants per semester. The U.S. Census Bureau defines rural systems as receiving $3,500 per enrolled student, whereas non-rural schools receive $2,500 per enrolled student.

“Business and industry partners frequently shoulder the need for employees trained in career and technical education,” said Dr. Brumley. “Dedicating funding to our school systems specifically to support apprenticeships will encourage this career readiness approach to be lifted across Louisiana.”

The MFP establishes the cost of teaching all Louisiana K-12 public school students. The state constitution mandates BESE to draft and present to the Louisiana Legislature each year a formula for allocating state monies to public schools. The final resolution defining the methodology that the BESE approved today will be delivered to the Legislature for consideration by March 15. According to state law, the Legislature may adopt or reject the BESE formula but cannot amend it. If the Revenue Estimating Conference recognizes additional funds during the budget approval process, BESE has also requested that the legislature return the formula to the Board so that a 2.75% increase in the formula’s base per pupil amount and additional funds for dual enrollment programs can be added.

Follow this link for more information on the adopted 2023-2024 MFP formula and its allocations.

Follow this link to report a typo or other issue.