States

La. Taps Gambling Revenue To Raise Teachers’ Salaries

By Erik W. Robelen — March 28, 2001 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Louisiana teachers stand to get a raise next fall, thanks to the state’s gamblers.

The state legislature completed work last week on the gambling package during a special session called by Gov. Mike Foster to address the matter. The Republican governor has pledged to bring teacher salaries up to the Southern regional average. (“Louisiana Wants Casinos To Ante Up for Teacher Raises,” March 21, 2001.)

“This special session has been a great success,” Gov. Foster proclaimed upon its completion on March 22. “The House and Senate worked together with my administration to pass legislation that will raise teacher and faculty pay substantially.”

The governor’s original plan would have provided teachers with a $2,000 pay raise, with half of that derived from the gaming revenues and the other half from proposed changes to the state education budget. But the final amount could be $400 to $500 above that because of changes made in the legislature that would increase the tax revenue, said Thomas Tate, the chief lobbyist for the Louisiana Association of Educators, an affiliate of the National Education Association.

Mr. Foster’s original plan would have exempted five of the state’s 14 riverboat casinos from the higher taxes because they are not required to periodically leave the dock and cruise, as the other nine are. Under the final legislation, all of the state’s riverboat casinos would remain permanently docked, but would face a tax of 21.5 percent, up from 18.5 percent.

Other Funding Source

A second aspect of the plan, also approved by legislators and signed by the governor last week, would lower the annual payment the state charges to Harrah’s Casino, a land-based facility in New Orleans, while earmarking the money for raises for teachers and college faculty members. The current tax, $100 million per year, has threatened to put the casino out of business.

The gambling revenues would provide only a portion of the teacher-pay raise. The other half would come from using all of the growth in fiscal 2002 in the state’s minimum-foundation program—the main state funding source for education—for increased teacher pay. The state board of education approved such a plan this month. It still requires approval by the legislature when it meets in regular session later this month.

Related Tags:

A version of this article appeared in the March 28, 2001 edition of Education Week as La. Taps Gambling Revenue To Raise Teachers’ Salaries

Events

Recruitment & Retention Webinar EdRecruiter 2025 Survey Results: The Outlook for Recruitment and Retention
See exclusive findings from EdWeek’s nationwide survey of K-12 job seekers and district HR professionals on recruitment, retention, and job satisfaction. 
Jobs Virtual Career Fair for Teachers and K-12 Staff
Find teaching jobs and K-12 education jubs at the EdWeek Top School Jobs virtual career fair.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
School & District Management Webinar
How District Leaders Align Curriculum, Assessment, and Instruction for Student Success
Join K-12 leaders as they share strategies for aligning curriculum, assessment, and instruction to support all learners.
Content provided by Otus

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

States Which States Require the Most—and Least—Instructional Time? Find Out
There's no national policy dictating how much time students must attend classes each year. That leads to wide variation by state.
2 min read
Image of someone working on a calendar.
Chainarong Prasertthai/iStock/Getty
States More States Are Testing the Limits Around Religion in Public Schools
A wave of state policies mixing public education and religion are challenging the church-state divide in public schools.
4 min read
An empty classroom is shown at A.G. Hilliard Elementary School on Sept. 2, 2017, in Houston.
An empty classroom is shown at A.G. Hilliard Elementary School on Sept. 2, 2017, in Houston. Texas's state school board has approved a curriculum with Bible-infused lessons, the latest of a wave of state policies challenging the church-state divide in schools.
David J. Phillip/AP
States A State Changed Anti-Bias Guidelines for Teachers After a Lawsuit. Will Others?
The lawsuit filed by a conservative law firm took issue with state guidelines on examining biases and diversifying curriculum.
5 min read
Students arrive for classes at Taylor Allderdice High School in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh on Jan. 23, 2024.
Students arrive for classes at Taylor Allderdice High School in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh on Jan. 23, 2024. As part of a recent court settlement, Pennsylvania will no longer require school districts to follow its set of guidelines that sought to confront racial and cultural biases in education.
Gene J. Puskar/AP
States In Deep-Red Florida, Voters Reject Partisan School Board Races
Florida voters rejected a constitutional amendment to make school board races partisan.
2 min read
Image of a board room.
Collage by Laura Baker/Education Week (Images: DigitalVision Vectors; E+; iStock/Getty)