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Committee recommends $1,500 retention stipend for teachers at labeled Acadia Parish schools
Summary
After discussion, the committee voted to recommend Option 1: a targeted $1,500 stipend for qualifying certified teachers at nine labeled, high‑need schools (about 105 teachers covered by the allocation of $198,470), with a small general‑fund supplement if needed; board reporting and performance measures were requested.
The policy committee debated two ways to distribute a $198,470 state allocation for differentiated pay and voted to recommend a targeted stipend for teachers at labeled, high‑need schools.
Staff presented two options: Option 1 would focus funding on nine labeled schools (including campuses listed as comprehensive or urgent intervention required) and cover approximately 105 qualifying certified teachers with a recommended stipend of $1,500 per teacher plus benefits, which staff said would nearly exhaust the $198,470 allocation and would require the general fund to pick up roughly 15 teachers (estimated at about $27,500) if those teachers were to be included. Option 2 would spread smaller stipends more broadly (staff presented that option as covering many more teachers and requiring a larger general‑fund contribution, with an estimated per‑teacher amount of about $388 under that approach).
Committee members expressed support for targeting high‑need schools but asked for clearer measurement and annual reporting to judge whether the stipend improves recruitment and retention. One committee member said Option 1 was "a no brainer" based on firsthand observation of working conditions at those schools; another emphasized the need for a specific implementation plan and a measuring stick to assess outcomes. A motion by Steve Jones, seconded by Becky Atkinson, recommended Option 1 and to bring the proposal to the full board for a final decision; the committee voted in favor.
The committee directed staff to provide additional detail on eligible job codes and proposed measures so the full board can review the distribution and expected outcomes before final adoption.
