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By JIM BUTLER
As best can be determined legislators representing portions of Rapides have not indicated how they voted or plan to vote on Governor Landry’s teacher pay proposal.
They have until June 23 to electronically return ballots issued to them Monday.
The governor wants to take $168 million from non-instructional funding to retain this year the stipend school employees have been receiving in lieu of a permanent pay raise, $2,000 for degreed personnel, $1,000 for others.
That is $30 million less than the most-recent appropriation, with principals, assistant principals, administrators and staff, counselors, therapists and nurses dropped from the recipient list.
A plan to fund a permanent raise fell apart when voters this Spring for the second time rejected a constitutional amendment to allow funding shifts to finance a raise.
The governor believes school systems are overloaded with non-classroom costs.
The education establishment disagrees, pointing to support necessary to achieve classroom success as well to startling cost jumps for health insurance and other budget necessities.
Rapides Supt. Jeff Powell, president of the state superintendents association, responding to a request for comment, said earlier this week it is unrealistic to expect such proposed cuts to not impact classroom achievement.
The Rapides system’s General Fund current budget projects $77.3 million in support services costs, with student transportation at $18.3 million. Instruction costs are set at $164 million.
The system retains a reserve fund required by board vote years ago to guard against unexpected shortfalls, extraordinary calamities and natural disaster.
A legislator with what could be a unique situation is Rapides’ Mike Johnson.
He is House Speaker Pro Tempore and also legal counsel of record to the School Board.