Louisiana education board backs governor teacher raise plan

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Gov. John Bel Edwards' push to give Louisiana public school teachers a pay raise and school districts their first spending increase in years has won support from the state's top school board.

Members of the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education on Tuesday backed the K-12 public school financing formula proposed by the Democratic governor for the 2019-20 year. A final vote comes Wednesday. Then, the formula moves to state lawmakers for consideration.

The $3.8 billion formula includes $140 million in new spending, with $101 million earmarked for raises. Teachers and certificated personnel would receive $1,000 salary hikes, while support staff such as cafeteria workers would get $500 pay increases.