Highlights

• Lafayette Parish set to approve $656.5 million budget with $50K starting teacher salary
• The district would eliminate positions and consolidate schools to fund $7.6 million in new expenses
• S.J. Montgomery Elementary would close, students rezoned to other middle schools
• Charter schools would receive an additional $4.6 million while the district cuts staff
• High school class sizes would increase to a 30:1 ratio to save $2.7 million

Lafayette Parish Schools Approves $50K Teacher Starting Salary While Cutting District Jobs

School board to vote Thursday on $656.5 million budget that raises teacher pay through position eliminations and school consolidation

LAFAYETTE, La. (KPEL News) — The Lafayette Parish School Board will vote Thursday on a $656.5 million budget that raises starting teacher salaries to $50,000 while eliminating district positions and closing an elementary school to balance the books.

According to The Advocate, the proposed 2025-2026 fiscal year budget serves nearly 30,000 students and includes approximately $7.6 million in new and increased expenses. The largest expense involves raising starting teacher salaries and providing additional compensation for staff who oversee extracurricular activities.

Get our free mobile app

To fund these increases, the district made cuts through consolidations and reductions at the district office and among non-classroom staff positions.

Teacher Salary Increases Drive Major Budget Changes

Superintendent Francis Touchet proposed bringing starting teacher salaries to $50,000, which will cost the district approximately $1.3 million annually. The compensation package also includes incentives for core course teachers who meet specific academic benchmarks.

READ MORE: Lafayette Parish School System to Raise Starting Teacher Pay to $50K, Launches Incentive Bonus Plan

The plan rewards school-based administrators who achieve academic goals and offers stipends for staff members who oversee extracurricular activities. The complete incentive program costs more than $6 million total.

These salary adjustments represent a significant investment in teacher retention and recruitment as Lafayette Parish competes with other districts for qualified educators.

S.J. Montgomery Elementary Closure Generates $3.5 Million in Savings

The district achieved substantial savings by moving S.J. Montgomery Elementary operations to the Lafayette Middle facility. Students who attended Lafayette Middle have been rezoned to other middle schools throughout the district.

The S.J. Montgomery building will be demolished and converted into athletic fields for Lafayette High School. This consolidation resulted in approximately $3.5 million in savings through what the district calls "optimization staffing."

District officials have not confirmed the exact number of full-time positions eliminated as part of this reorganization, though the savings suggest significant staffing reductions accompanied the facility consolidation.

District Position Cuts and Staff Consolidations

In February, the school board approved job consolidations and eliminations that primarily affected district-level and non-classroom staff. Some positions were reclassified at lower pay rates or given new titles with reduced compensation.

These changes generated approximately $1.2 million in savings for the general fund and about $300,000 in savings for other district funds.

The board also approved increasing high school classroom ratios to 30:1, which contributed to nearly $2.7 million in school-level strategic staffing savings. Additional savings came from eliminating positions at schools experiencing enrollment changes.

Charter School Funding Increases Amid District Reductions

While the district eliminates positions and consolidates schools, Lafayette Parish estimates it will allocate approximately $4.6 million in additional funding for area charter schools during the upcoming fiscal year.

Charter schools receive per-pupil funding that follows students even if they later re-enroll in traditional public schools after the official count date. These schools also receive portions of collected sales and property taxes designated for education.

The state distributes tax revenue originally collected for the district to appropriate charter schools. Charter schools operate under fewer restrictions than traditional public schools regarding voter-imposed conditions on local education funding.

Ongoing Financial Challenges for District Operations

Lafayette Parish School System Chief Financial Officer Matthew Dugas indicated that creating balanced budgets will likely continue presenting difficulties for the district in coming years.

Several persistent factors contribute to budget pressures, including declining enrollment that reduces per-pupil funding and increasing costs for the district's self-funded insurance plan. The district transferred more than $6.6 million from the general fund to the insurance fund to prevent operational deficits.

Even with the $6.6 million transfer, Dugas told board members that an additional $5 million will likely be needed later in fiscal year 2026 to maintain budget balance.

The district faced similar challenges last year, using one-time funds and approximately $2.3 million in staffing reductions to cover about $38 million in unplanned expenses.

Strategic Planning Recommendations and Board Decisions

The district hired a strategic planner in the fall to assess facilities and programs. The consultant proposed closures and consolidations that would have saved approximately $4 million in the first year and $8 million annually after four years.

The school board rejected virtually all strategic planning proposals, achieving only about $500,000 in annual cost savings instead of the projected millions. Following these rejections, Touchet implemented a hiring freeze and the board authorized potential reduction-in-force measures "if necessary."

Additional Programs and Revenue Assumptions

The budget includes funding for expanding the Accelerating Campus Excellence (ACE) model to Alice Boucher Elementary, costing approximately $92,000 annually. The Pugh Family Foundation provided bulk funding for this program, which focuses on social-emotional learning, extended school days, and employing highly effective staff.

The ACE model previously showed early success at J.W. Faulk and Dr. Raphael Baranco elementary schools, according to district officials.

Budget assumptions include a 2.5% increase in sales tax revenues, a 4% increase in property tax revenues, and approximately $1.2 million more in per-pupil funding from the state. The district also started with a small rollover budget of nearly $198,000.

School Board Meeting and Public Input

The Lafayette Parish School Board will vote on the proposed budget during its 5 p.m. meeting Thursday. The meeting provides an opportunity for public comment on the budget proposals before the board takes final action.

The budget affects nearly 30,000 students across the district and represents significant policy decisions about educational priorities, staffing levels, and facility utilization in Lafayette Parish.

Get our free mobile app