Gov. Jeff Landry and Louisiana lawmakers are at an impasse over teacher pay, and no one's sure what comes next.
With the failure of Amendment 3 at the ballot box over the weekend, the fate of teacher pay is now up in the air.
The governor wants to see a raise happen, with teachers getting another $2,000 stipend for the next fiscal year, since the failure of the proposed amendment will put education funding about $500 million in the hole. Some legislators say the funds just are not there.
"We just simply don't have the money to fund it," said state senator Alan Seabaugh.
Seabaugh says lawmakers will oblige the governor in his insistence that if teachers don't get a raise, no one who is in state government will.
"It's my understanding that that bill is being amended to take the governor and the statewide out, so nobody will be getting a pay raise," Seabaugh said.
Larry Carter, the president of the Louisiana Federation of Teachers and School Employees, says while it’s been going on for years, the fight for teacher pay is now entering a new phase.
“We’re going to try our very best to lobby legislators to see if we can fight for a line item in the governor’s budget to at least maintain the stipend; but also procuring funds to be used for a permanent pay for teachers and school employees,” Carter said.
Carter says with the state experiencing momentum in terms of student achievement, it is more important than ever to pay teachers competitive salaries.
