Jefferson Parish voters to decide on teacher pay raises

By Jordan Lippincott

Source: WGNO

December 5, 2024

JEFFERSON PARISH, La. (WGNO) — Voters in Jefferson Parish will decide if teachers and other school employees should get a pay raise.

The proposition will be on the Dec. 7 ballot and in the form of a 10.89-mill property tax.

According to the Bureau of Governmental Research, this means that if voters approve the proposition and the school board levies the tax at the maximum rate, homeowners will pay an additional $108.90 annually on each $100,000 of property value above the $75,000 homestead exemption, beginning in 2025.

The bureau estimates the tax would generate about $50 million dollars in its first year.

The tax revenue will go towards pay raises for teachers and other employees of the Jefferson Parish School System.

Certified teacher salaries would jump from just above $50,000 to $60,000.

“That would make Jefferson Parish teachers the highest paid teachers in the region,” said Bureau of Governmental Research CEO Becky Mowbray.

The Bureau of Governmental Research released a report after conducting their own analysis of the tax.

The group supports the proposal, saying the school system has exhausted all other possibilities to improve teacher recruitment and retention.

“They have more than 100 vacancies at any given time, and what that means is that it’s very difficult for them to have stable classrooms and provide the education that students need,” explained Mowbray.

The local teacher’s union, the Jefferson Federation of Teachers, released the following statement in support of the proposal:

JFT is excited about the opportunity for teachers and school support employees to receive a well-deserved pay raise. This will make Jefferson Parish competitive with surrounding school districts. We hope that this will have a positive impact on teacher and school support employee vacancies and retention. Voting YES for the millage will help our school system keep the best teachers and school support employees and their families in Jefferson Parish.

Voters now must head to the polls.

“The role that voters play is to decide whether it’s an important enough priority for them to pay for it, so I think that’s what it will come down to ultimately,” said Mowbray.

If passed, the parishwide tax would run for ten years unless renewed by voters in 2034.

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