Neil Irwin Archives - Louisiana Budget Project

September 10, 2018

A long-overdue pay raise?

It’s been rumored for months, but late last week it became official: Gov. John Bel Edwards plans to seek a $1,000 per year salary increase for public school teachers next year, with lower raises for school support workers.

Number of the Day

$170 million - Projected annual cost of giving Louisiana’s public school employees - including teachers, supervisors and support workers - a 3.65 percent pay raise needed to reach the Southern regional average. (Source: The Advocate)

August 21, 2017

Are colleges turning a corner?

It’s no secret that Louisiana’s colleges and universities often bore the biggest brunt of state budget cuts during the 2008 - 16 fiscal downturn.

Number of the Day

21 percent - Drop in the number of tenure-track professors in the University of Louisiana System schools from 2007 to 2015 - from 2,478 to 1,961 (Source: The Advocate)

April 17, 2017

So, what’s the plan?

A couple of things are clear as the Legislature begins its second week: First, Republicans in the House (who hold the key to any tax reform deal) are unhappy with Gov. John Bel Edwards’ plan to cut taxes for 95 percent of Louisiana households and make corporations pay more to fund state government. And second, those same House Republicans are nowhere close to coming up with a plan for solving the $1.4 billion fiscal “cliff” that will come when a slew of temporary taxes expire on July 1, 2018.

Number of the Day

$58.7 million - Estimated cost to Louisiana - over five years - of eliminating the state sales tax on diapers and feminine hygiene products, which is proposed in Senate Bill 24 by Sen. J.P. Morrell of New Orleans (Source: Legislative Fiscal Office)