BATON ROUGE, LA – A Louisiana lawmaker urged teachers to remain patient Monday, explaining that raises would be premature until consultants determine why employees keep accepting jobs that pay more.
“We can’t just throw money at a problem,” he said, requesting $2.4 million to ask teachers what the problem is.
The proposed study will examine classroom stress, administrative demands, and whether teachers have considered being married to someone with a better job.
“I’ll tell them why we’re leaving for half what they’re paying the consultant,” one teacher said.
Committee members called the offer compelling but questioned whether a classroom teacher possessed the necessary experience to understand conditions inside a classroom.
The final report is expected in eighteen months, followed by public hearings, a review period, and formation of an implementation task force.
Meanwhile, the consulting firm received an immediate pay increase after warning it might take its talents to Texas.
