Louisiana voters rejected Constitutional Amendment 3 on Saturday’s ballot, which would have funded a pay raise for teachers and support staff.
Of the 799,130 votes cast in the election, 58% of voters rejected the amendment.
Amendment 3 would have indirectly financed pay raises — $2,250 for teachers and $1,125 for support staff — by draining the state’s education trust funds.
While the state’s largest teachers' unions supported the amendment, some educators opposed the measure, and some union affiliates remained neutral as a result.
“Members want a traditionally funded raise that they feel the state owes them after years of stipends,” said Brant Osborne, St. Tammany’s union president, at a recent school board meeting. “They don't want something to come at what they view as the expense of kids.”
The money would have been used to pay off debt in the state’s teacher retirement system early, and schools would have been required to use the resulting savings to cover raises.
The trust funds support education initiatives in the state from early through higher education. While lawmakers have promised to keep those programs intact, their future isn’t protected or guaranteed.
Further complicating the vote was a campaign led by some left-leaning groups to reject all five amendments to protest Gov. Jeff Landry’s decision to cancel U.S. House races. All of the amendments failed.
Prior to the vote, Senate President Cameron Henry, R-Metairie, told reporters that if the amendment failed, the legislature did not plan to add funding to this year’s budget for another one-time stipend.
That means educators are facing a pay cut — $2,000 for teachers and $1,000 for support staff — unless lawmakers change their minds.
Another stipend would run the state $200 million, likely a difficult sell as the state responds to a drop in revenue, after lowering taxes in 2025.
Landry is also pushing for an additional $44 million for the state’s school voucher program, though Henry has said he plans to block the request.
