Louisiana teacher pay falls further behind Southern average

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — The gap between the average salary that Louisiana teachers earn and the Southern regional average continues to widen.

The Advocate reports that the latest data shows teachers in Louisiana were paid about $51,000 on average for the 2018-19 school year, compared to nearly $55,000 across the 16-state region.

The Southern Regional Education Board says the gap was about $2,300 during the previous school year.

Gov. John Bel Edwards has vowed to reach the average before he finishes his second term in 2024.

But the coronavirus outbreak ended discussion of a teacher pay raise this year.

Whether efforts will resume next year remains unclear amid the financial uncertainty of the pandemic.