After voters rejected a proposed constitutional amendment that would have given teachers a pay raise, Gov. Jeff Landry says he won’t allow the Legislature to increase pay for other state employees unless they find money for teachers.
“In light of Amendment 3 falling short, I want to make it very clear — if our teachers don’t get a permanent raise this year, nobody in state government gets a pay raise,” Landry posted on X, emphasizing the word “permanent.” “I mean nobody.”
Amendment 3 would have liquidated three trust funds that pay for various education expenses, then used the money to pay of retirement debt. The money saved would have gone towards a permanent $2,000 pay increase for teachers.
Voters rejected the amendment by a margin of 42% to 58%. They also batted down four other proposed amendments by even wider margins.
The amendment would have essentially made permanent a $2,000 stipend that the Legislature has given to teachers over the past few years. Legislative leaders have said it is unlikely they will be able to find the $200 million necessary to pay for the stipends again this year if the amendment didn’t pass
Recent economic forecasts lowered by more than $100 million the amount the legislature has available to spend by next year, meaning lawmakers are already figuring out how to trim the budget.
As governor, Landry has the power to line-item veto legislation, which means he could strip any pay raises out of the budget or other bills.
It was not immediately clear how legislative leaders would respond.
Landry traveled to Greenland on Sunday in his role as President Donald Trump’s special envoy to the territory.
