LIVINGSTON - The Livingston Parish School Board approved a permanent pay raise for teachers and staff Thursday night, as well as a one-time bonus of $1,000 for every employee in the system.

Livingston Parish teachers can expect to see a permanent pay raise of $2,000, and staff members will also receive a permanent raise of $1,000, according to the school board.

The increase follows Superintendent Joe Murphy's proposals presented to the State Legislature in the 2022 General Session. A portion of the money will be provided by the state, and another will be sourced from the local district.

"It’s a significant commitment on behalf of the state and the district, but with that said, it’s still short of where we want to be," Murphy said.

The board also approved a one-time supplement of $1,000 for every school system employee, in addition to a three-percent salary supplement.

"The percentage increase on top of the supplement, which comes on top of the state’s increase and the district’s supplement, accounts for the largest local compensation package this school system has ever been able to hand out," Murphy said.

According to the superintendent, the money will be distributed to employees in two installments — half is to be issued on Nov. 4, 2022, and the remainder will be paid on May 5, 2023.

The supplements are expected to cost the district's general fund a total of $10.7 million.

"The unfortunate factor is that the additional $1,000 and 3-percent supplements are one-time only. We would have liked to put more in the permanent pay structure but couldn’t
do it, but a recent increase in sales tax does allow us to give these supplements this year, so we wanted to do it now when people need the extra cash," Murphy said. "We certainly believe our actions represent a step in the right direction."