Caddo Parish executive committee moves $1,500 one‑time employee stipend to consent agenda

During the Caddo Parish School Board executive committee work session Aug. 19, board member Jessica Yates moved to increase a proposed one‑time stipend for employees from $1,000 to $1,500 and the committee voted to place the item on the full board’s consent agenda.

The stipend, if approved by the full board, would be paid as a one‑time lump sum on Sept. 12. “These funds will be available to all employees who are employed and they’re eligible to receive benefits on September 1,” Superintendent Burton said during the committee discussion. Employees must be employed and eligible for benefits on Sept. 1 and still employed on the Sept. 12 payment date to receive the payment.

Board members pressed staff for cost and funding details. Superintendent Burton told the committee the $1,500 stipend would cost about $8,500,000. He and other staff said the district expects to have roughly $9,000,000 in excess local revenue from the 2024–25 fiscal year, which the administration proposed using in part to cover the payment. Earlier in the discussion a figure of $30,000,000 was mentioned and then clarified to be incorrect; Burton said final revenue figures will be presented to the insurance and finance committee on Sept. 2.

Committee members asked how the one‑time payment interacts with the state stipend program and who is eligible. Burton said the district payment is in addition to the state stipend and clarified eligibility rules: substitute teachers are not eligible for the state stipend; part‑time employees will receive prorated amounts tied to time worked; any employee on approved leave on Sept. 1 would receive a prorated payment upon return based on days worked in 2025–26.

Board members also discussed broader compensation strategy. Burton and other speakers said the district is aiming for a sustainable, differentiated future pay increase and noted an April election on a proposed constitutional amendment that the administration says could free state dollars for raises.

The committee’s action on Aug. 19 was procedural: the motion to increase the one‑time stipend to $1,500 (moved by Board member Jessica Yates and seconded by Board member Tremayo) was approved to move onto the consent agenda for the next meeting. The transcript does not record a final full‑board approval of the $1,500 amount.

If the full board approves the consent agenda that includes this item, the payment schedule, eligibility rules and the $8.5 million estimated cost will be implemented as described by staff. The committee scheduled final revenue figures and additional budget detail for the Sept. 2 insurance and finance committee meeting.