How do Cenla teachers' paychecks compare?
Rapides Parish educators are hoping to see an 8.5-percent raise paid for by a half-cent sales tax proposed for the April 9 ballot. And they could use it. Compared to school districts across the state, Rapides teachers are underpaid, according to Louisiana Department of Education data.
The most recent data available puts Rapides Parish teacher pay 55th out of 69 school districts in the state, according to 2013-14 figures from the DOE. Rapides teachers make an average of about $44,000 to $45,000, depending on “extra compensation,” below the state average of about $49,000.
"Passing this tax proposal is critical to the economic future of our community," Rapides schools Superintendent Nason "Tony" Authement said.
If passed, the half-cent sales tax would affect all school district employees, including support personnel, and would be the first to pass in nearly 30 years. The last time voters passed such a tax for school employees was in 1987.
"That shows you right there we're behind the times," Alexandria Senior High Principal Duane Urbina said.
"It's long overdue, and in my opinion, it's well-deserved," Authement said.
The tax is a local solution, but low pay for teachers is not just a local problem. In fact, most Central Louisiana teachers are on the low end of the pay scale. Of nine Cenla parishes, seven are among the 20 lowest-paid districts in Louisiana. Five are among the 11 lowest-paid districts.
Only Natchitoches and Vernon parishes are among the top half of districts when it comes to teacher pay. Natchitoches ranks 23rd with an average salary of $49,719 and Vernon ranks 31st with an average salary of $48,650.
The highest-paid Louisiana teachers are in DeSoto Parish with an average classroom teacher salary of more than $60,000. That's nearly $22,000 more than the lowest salaries for teachers — an average of about $39,000 a year in Tensas Parish.
"We need to get our pay scale up to attract young people into the profession," Urbina said. "It's not just Rapides Parish but our state and the country. It has to be the No. 1 priority. ... To be competitive at the world level, we've got to show the importance of teachers."
A look at teacher pay in Cenla: (Rankings are based on averages 2013-14 annual salary for classroom teachers excluding all ROTC, rehires, salary reductions and sabbaticals, but include “extra compensation.” Recent school performance scores also are included.)
Allen Parish: $47,355 (Ranked No. 43 out of 69) (SPS: B)
Avoyelles: $43,153 (No. 63) (D)
Catahoula: $42,120 (No. 66) (C)
Concordia: $44,726 (No. 59) (C)
Evangeline: $48,232 (No. 34) (C)
Grant: $42,277 (No. 65) (B)
LaSalle: $46,961 (No. 65) (B)
Natchitoches: $49,719 (No. 23) (C)
Rapides: $45,246 (No. 55) (B)
Vernon: $48,650 (No. 31) (A)
Winn: $46,550 (No. 49) (B)
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What local teachers have to say
Laurie Bolden teaches third grade at Cherokee Elementary, where she has taught since graduating college three years ago.
"I'm a fairly new teacher, so coming out of college I was just thrilled to start getting a salary," she said. "But, once I started fully teaching and understanding the magnitude of the tasks we undertake, it's a crazy-low salary. I have many teacher friends in other parishes and states and it does bring me back down to reality to discuss the differences in our pay."
She said the lower pay is keeping Rapides from being competitive.
"Personally I think Rapides Parish is doing great things, and we shouldn't be on the low end of the totem pole in terms of salary," Bolden said. "If we want to attract the best and brightest educators, we have to be able to compete with other parishes in terms of salary. If they can go to Lafayette or Monroe for a significant difference, they will."
Bonnie White, lead teacher at Pineville High School, has seen that happen.
"We're losing quality teachers to low morale and educational-reform stress, as well as other parishes and states who pay more," White said.
Educators and proponents say the tax is coming at a critical time for both current and future teachers.
"We need teachers," said Faith Normand, who teaches Rapides High juniors and seniors English and Advanced Placement English. "We need good teachers. There's no incentive on choosing this profession as a career. The work load keeps growing, but the pay does not. My students even see this and make comments like, 'I could never be a teacher.' 'Why don't they pay you more?'
"Yes, the true reward of teaching is the kids, and believe me, if it weren't for them, I wouldn't be in this profession. However, this pay raise, on average would give teachers a little more cushion from month to month. And believe me when I say, a good bit of us will end up using it in our classrooms and for our students."
The low pay isn't affecting teachers only. Support personnel like paraprofessionals make less than teachers and don't receive state increases. Revenues from the half-cent sales tax would go to all district employees.
"One of the keys to this tax is that it just isn't teachers," White said. "It's all district employees. Cafeteria, bus drivers, paraprofessionals, custodians, secretaries — they don't get any state increases. They only get a raise if the parish passes a tax. Support staff need this just as much as we do. Our entire school structure works very hard to give our children a safe and clean learning environment with encouraging professionals who want to see our children succeed and fulfill all their dreams for college and/or work."
Bolden said paraprofessionals and support staff she sees at Cherokee are essential.
"I can personally speak for mine; I couldn't make it without them, and I don't know how they survive on their salary," she said. "They are a bright light to so many of these students' lives. I believe they deserve more."
Some Rapides schools see different grades from state
School performance scores
There does not seem to a correlation between teacher pay and a district’s grade from the state, which is based on student performance. Central Louisiana’s lowest-paid district (Catahoula) and highest-paid district (Natchitoches) both have received C’s the last two years.
Zachary Community School District has had the highest district performance score in the state for the last two years, holding steady with at least a 114-point A. Zachary is ranked fourth when it comes to teacher pay with an average salary of $56,183.
Excluding recovery school districts, the lowest score in the state the last two years was Madison Parish with a D in the low 50s. Madison teacher pay ranks 54th with an average salary of $45,846. St. Helena was a close second with its D and its average pay of $43, 647 (ranked No. 61).
Rapides has kept a B for two years now after raising it more than 10 points from a C and is at No. 55 in average pay. It ranks just a bit higher in terms of starting teaching pay, at 52 out of 69.
And looking at the seven "metropolitan" areas, "we rank dead last" in starting pay for teachers, Authement said. No. 1 is Baton Rouge at $43,000 for starting pay, followed by Monroe, Lafayette, Shreveport, New Orleans, Lake Charles and then Alexandria at about $36,415.
Authement is thinking in terms of starting pay, especially as it becomes harder to recruit and retain high-quality teachers. There also is a greater burden being placed on teachers and school systems, he said, as they are asked to produce students who are prepared for more technological and skill-based jobs.
"If we're going to meet that challenge — and I believe we are; we're working toward that — but the issue is (that) we're losing teachers through attrition and fewer going into the teaching profession (and) it's becoming harder to attract at No. 52," Authement said.
Urbina also is of the opinion that low pay has stopped people from going into education.
"What I hate to see is people who have a passion for teaching and they don't go into the profession because of pay," he said.
If the tax passes, starting pay for Rapides moves up to $39,510. That would put Alexandria above Lake Charles and puts it within $1,000 of the top five metropolitan areas, he said.
"So we're in the ball game at that point," Authement said.
In starting pay, Rapides falls third behind Allen and Evangeline. And while Avoyelles is No. 5 out of eight, Authement said that district offers a $5,000 sign-on bonus. The tax proposal also would jump Rapides to No. 1 at the regional level, he said.
"That would put us in a great position to recruit, hire and retain teachers," he said. "And we want high-quality teachers."
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Do bigger districts pay better?
Size of the district could be a factor, with nine of the top 10 highest-paid districts having fewer than 500 full-time teachers, excluding those on sabbatical, in 2013-14. The highest-paid district, DeSoto, had 351 full-time teachers, but No. 7, St. Tammany Parish, had more than 2,600.
While size might affect salary, there is no direct correlation. Most Central Louisiana districts fall in that under-500 category but don’t come close to the top 10 in pay.
In Cenla, most districts are on the smaller side with 118 teachers in Catahoula to 458 in Natchitoches. Vernon is larger with 662 and ranks in the better half of the state (31st), while Rapides is listed at 1,675 teachers but is ranked much lower at 55.
Tensas, the lowest-paid district, is significantly smaller with 55 teachers.
Top 10 highest salaries for Louisiana teachers:
DeSoto Parish: $61,542 (B for the last two years)
St. James: $58,420
Red River: $58,065
Zachary Community School District: $56,183
Webster: $54,209
City of Monroe: $54,194
St. Tammany: $53,734
Morehouse: $53,732
Iberville: $53,718
Bienville: $53,173
Ten lowest-paid districts:
60) Acadia Parish: $44,380
61) St. Helena: $43,647
62) City of Baker School District: $43,288
63) Avoyelles: $43,153
64) Franklin: $43,139
65) Grant: $42,277
66) Catahoula: $42,120
67) Pointe Coupee: $41,643
68) East Feliciana: $40,380
69) Tensas: $39,578 (went from a C in 2014 to a D in 2015)
What's it going to cost?
For every $100 of items subjected to sales tax it will cost an additional 50 cents on top of what already paying in sales tax. That's $5 on $1,000.
He emphasized the permanence of a tax proposal over one-time salary supplements that are subject to approval of a school board each year.
"It's an 8.5-percent pay raise that will remain stable and goes into retirement," Authement said. "When it's a one-time supplemental increase, if we don't generate enough money during the school year to have a surplus, we have to go to our reserve (fund), which is just not sound business practice and can lead to serious problems down the road. This route is much better, more secure."
But a tax proposal doesn't automatically get passed. It's going to take the votes and making voters aware of why this is important, Authement said. District administrators are beginning a campaign to do just that, starting with meeting with community leaders and later visiting schools.
"Oftentimes we couldn't do (our job) without the support of the parents and community," White said about teachers and support staff. "Rapides has seen significant growth in student and school achievement and business development. Those two things go hand in hand. If we want our community to continue to prosper and be a place for business and families to be, then we need to strengthen and support our schools."
But Normand said teachers are worried the proposal won't pass, which would be a big blow to morale.
"I believe this sales tax proposal is a direct correlation to the view and appreciation of teachers in the general public," Normand said. "The morale among teachers is low. Some teachers are not very optimistic about this pay raise going to a vote. We are very concerned about the wording of the ballot and if the public think we are worth half a cent."