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Teachers, union and advocates urge board to treat state stipend as floor; veteran salary-step disparity raised
Summary
Teachers and advocates told the Caddo Parish School Board that recent state stipends and a proposed constitutional amendment fall short of long-term pay reform and raised a separate longstanding salary-step discrepancy that reduces retirement benefits for veteran educators.
Caddo Parish School Board, Shreveport — Two public speakers urged the Caddo Parish School Board on July 15 to treat recent state money for educators as a baseline and to correct an internal salary-step discrepancy that they say penalizes veteran teachers and reduces retirement benefits.
At a visitor comment period, Jordan Thomas, identified as president of Red River United, told the board that state payments the last three years have been “stipends” and warned they are not equivalent to raises. “They don't count toward retirement. They don't grow over time. They're Band Aids on a much bigger wound,” Thomas said, summarizing what advocates describe as the difference between temporary, one-time payments and permanent salary increases.
The state has provided $2,000 stipends for teachers and $1,000 for support staff in recent years, Thomas…
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