Lafourche is losing teachers. Officials say this plan would help.
Lafourche officials say they hope a tax-reform package on the local ballot March 25 will help stem a growing teacher shortage in the parish's public schools.
Lafourche schools started the year 14 teachers short, a number that has since risen to 24. Superintendent Jarod Martin said a raise for teachers, which the tax changes would fund, would offer more competitive pay and help retain the talent.
"We've lost them in all three areas. The ones down the bayou, we lost many of them to Jefferson Parish. And the ones in the middle, the Raceland area, we lost to St. Charles. And the ones in the Thibodaux area we lost to St. James," he said. "You can get to St. James in 25 minutes from Thibodaux, you can get to St. Charles in 15 minutes from Raceland, and you can get to Jefferson in 20 minutes from down the bayou."
All of those parishes pay teachers more than Lafourche, he said.
Martin partnered with Parish President Archie Chaisson and Lafourche Assessor Wendy L. Thibodeaux to restructure the parish's taxes. The plan, unveiled last fall, includes six ballot proposals that would shuffle several fees and taxes in a way that officials say would free about $7 million for teacher raises while keeping the overall tax burden on residents the same or lower.
The money would give the school system's 834 teachers a $4,000-a-year raise and boost pay for the 685 support woprkers by $2,000 a year.
The package would consolidate several taxes, add a $16-a-month fee for garbage, move some taxes from parish government to the school district and amend one tax so the district could use some of the money for teacher pay.
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Starting pay for teachers in Lafourche is $43,300, increasing to $46,300 after 10 years and $49,300 after 20 years. The same slide showed Terrebonne ranking slightly higher: $43,709 starting, $48,649 after ten, and $51,849 after 20.
About 60 Lafourche teachers resigned this year, school district Human Resources Director Robby Lee said. A dozen cited pay as the reason, but Lee said the number is likely more. Some who left cited personal reasons as the deciding factor.
"When they leave, people put 'personal reasons,' " Lee said. "They may not say, 'But I'm going get a job in another district.' I'm sure some of the personal reasons are that."
This article originally appeared on Daily Comet: Lafourche is losing teachers. Officials say this plan would help.
