Metro Council approves Head Start pay changes amid uncertainty over federal grant

The Metropolitan Council on May 20 approved amendments to the city'parish pay plan and position allotments for the Department of Human Development and Services (Head Start), while staff, council members and workers warned that the federal Head Start grant that fully funds the program had not been confirmed and could expire June 30.

The council voted to implement pay-grade changes, to pay retroactive wages back to Jan. 11, 2025, and to create new Head Start job classifications and positions. Motion to approve the package was made by Councilman Hudson and seconded by Councilman Hurst; the measure passed.

The vote followed public comment from Head Start clerical employees who said they were left out of the pay changes. Carol Wolf Harris, speaking on behalf of clerical staff, said supervisors had previously told clerical workers they would be renamed to allow pay parity but that the renaming had not happened. "We feel like it's unfair. It's, discriminating," Harris told the council. She asked that clerical staff be included in retroactive pay.

Human resources Director Latoya Pearson told the council that clerical positions had initially been excluded because they are classified as citywide clerical titles used across multiple departments. Pearson said Human Resources would start a targeted review of the clerical positions in the Department of Human Development and Services and could produce recommendations within weeks. "We definitely can start the review to address the clerical positions and create unique classifications for them in DHDS," Pearson said, adding that HR would cost any recommended changes and work with the department to find savings if necessary.

Councilman Dunn Jr. pressed for a timeline; Pearson said the department would ask for the department'provided job information and then typically needs a week or two to review and compare market data. She said the administration could present recommendations to council in roughly a month.

Separately, a senior department official, Dr. Langford, told the council the Head Start grant was not yet confirmed. "Plainly spoken, what that means is Head Start is 100% grant funded," Langford said. "If the city does not receive that grant, then there would be no funding for Head Start." Council members and staff said they believed the delay might be administrative but acknowledged the risk: alternative applicants had filed to administer the local Head Start grant this cycle, including the YWCA and Kids Carousel, according to council discussion.

Council members urged the administration and Human Resources to hold a town-hall meeting for Head Start employees to explain contingencies and placement options if federal funding is not renewed. The council and HR described existing city procedures to try to place grant-funded employees in other city positions if a grant-funded program ends.

The council approved the pay and position changes (items listed in the meeting as the 2025 pay-plan amendments, retroactive pay through May 30, 2025, and related position allotment changes). Council members acknowledged clerical staff'concerns on the record and requested a follow-up report and a timeline for HR'led reclassification work.

If the federal grant is not renewed, staff said children served by the program would be referred to partner providers and the East Baton Rouge Parish School System, and the city would attempt to offer affected employees other positions.

The council-adopted motion did not itself guarantee future funding for Head Start; it directed the pay changes and created the new classifications while leaving HR and the administration to return with the clerical reclassification plan and cost estimate.

Officials said they would brief the council and schedule employee outreach within days to weeks so staff could understand placement and pay alternatives.

Ending: The council approved the immediate pay and classification measures on May 20 and asked the administration for rapid follow-up on clerical reclassification and an update on the federal grant status. Council members asked that the administration hold at least one employee meeting the first or second week of June to set expectations.