SLS 19RS-526 ORIGINAL
2019 Regular Session
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 57
BY SENATOR BISHOP
BESE. Requests BESE to work with the Governor and Legislature to develop a ten-year
plan to increase teacher salaries to the highest in the nation.
1 A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
2 To urge and request the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to work with
3 the governor and the legislature to develop a ten-year plan to increase teacher
4 salaries to the level where Louisiana's average teacher salary is the highest in the
5 nation.
6 WHEREAS, the Constitution of Louisiana provides that "the goal of the public
7 educational system is to provide learning environments and experiences, at all stages of
8 human development, that are … designed to promote excellence in order that every
9 individual may be afforded an equal opportunity to develop to his full potential"; and
10 WHEREAS, attracting and retaining quality teachers in all of Louisiana's classrooms
11 is one of the most important aspects in assuring that an excellent educational environment
12 is provided; and
13 WHEREAS, placing a highly qualified, highly engaged, appropriately certified
14 teacher in every classroom will become more difficult if teacher pay in Louisiana continues
15 to lag behind the pay of other professions in this state and teacher salaries in other states; and
16 WHEREAS, the latest data from the National Education Association (NEA) shows
17 that the average Louisiana teacher salary in 2017 was $50,000, which was $9,660 below the
18 average salary of teachers in the United States; and
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SLS 19RS-526 ORIGINAL
1 WHEREAS, providing competitive salaries is absolutely necessary in order to
2 encourage the best and brightest young people to enter the teaching profession, to teach in
3 the public schools, and provide an incentive for excellent teachers to make teaching a
4 lifelong career; and
5 WHEREAS, the Louisiana Legislature is appreciative of the dedication of
6 Louisiana's classroom teachers and their tireless work in providing a high quality educational
7 environment to each student in our state; and
8 WHEREAS, the Louisiana Legislature supports providing public school teachers
9 competitive pay and benefits.
10 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the legislature of Louisiana does hereby urge
11 and request the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to work with the
12 governor and the legislature to develop a ten-year plan to increase teacher salaries to the
13 level where Louisiana's average teacher salary is the highest in the nation.
14 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the State Board of Elementary and Secondary
15 Education shall submit a written report on the plan to the Senate Committee on Education
16 and the House Committee on Education at least thirty days prior to the beginning of the 2020
17 Regular Session of the Legislature.
18 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
19 president of the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education and the governor.
The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument, were prepared by Cheryl Serrett.
DIGEST
SCR 57 Original 2019 Regular Session Bishop
Requests the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to work with the governor
and the legislature to develop a ten-year plan to increase teacher salaries to the level where
Louisiana's average teacher salary is the highest in the nation, and to submit a written report
on the plan to the Senate Committee on Education and the House Committee on Education
at least thirty days prior to the beginning of the 2020 Regular Session of the Legislature.
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