Jeff Palermo reporting
The House approved a 30-billion dollar budget. It contains money to give public school teachers a $1,200 raise. There’s a concern the raise is actually a one-time bonus. But House Appropriations Chairman Cameron Henry says the pay raise will be permanent once the funding formula for public schools is approved.
“Regardless of the dollar amount, whether it was $1,000 or $2.000 or $500, we would be having the same conversation because we are still waiting for that MFP to go through the process, once it goes through the process it will become permanent,” said Henry.
The spending plan does not contain the 39-million dollars in block grant funding that the governor and the state’s education board. Bogalusa Representative Malinda White raised her concern about the lack of additional funding for K-12 education.
“Nothing for the districts to match some of the funding that’s going to be put on them,” said White.
The budget is a 300-million dollar increase over spending during the current fiscal year. Henry says additional dollars have been allocated to help the public.
“Four-million dollars was added to the office of elderly affairs to increase funding for your senior center homes and four-million dollars will be used to reduce wait times at the office of motor vehicles and hire an additional 65 individuals,” said Henry.
The budget heads to the Senate, where money will be shifted around, requiring House and Senate leaders reaching a compromise in the final days of the session.