BATON ROUGE, La. — A new data report from the Louisiana Department of Education shows more Louisiana teachers are choosing to remain in the profession and the percentage of certified educators is increased across the state.
The 2021-22 Educator Workforce Snapshot highlights key workforce data from the previous school year.
Overall, teacher retention increased by two points to 86% and first-year teacher retention increased to 83%.
The percentage of certified teachers increased two points to 29% and the average teacher salary in Louisiana increased by more than $1,200 to $52,174.
“This is an enlightening report that shows Louisiana’s comprehensive recruitment and retention plan is working. Even with this early progress, we must remain laser-focused,” said State Superintendent of Education Dr. Cade Brumley. “Every educator deserves quality pay, strong leadership, and to be valued as professionals. This encouraging data is early proof of what can happen when you listen to teachers and create an environment where their voice matters.”
Louisiana’s comprehensive recruitment and retention plan includes:
• $1,500 pay increase approved for teachers, a $750 pay increase for support staff, and the inclusion of a $2,000 stipend for Mentor Teachers.
• Creation of the first Superintendent’s Teacher Advisory Council. Twenty-two educators were chosen from nearly 900 applications to serve on the inaugural council. This cohort of educators meets with Dr. Brumley quarterly to share feedback on current education initiatives and offer insight on how Louisiana can continue to improve student outcomes.
• The Geaux Teach Fund was established in the 2022 Regular Legislative Session with an allocation of $5 million to award scholarships to high school students in teacher preparation programs.
• Over $1 million was allocated to school systems to expand pre-educators pathways, which offer education courses to high school students interested in the profession. The pre-educator pathway is offered in over 90 schools in 46 school systems for 2022-23. The Department released the Louisiana Grow Your Own/Pre-Educator Pathway Development and Expansion Guidebook and supports.
• The Department collaborated on new legislation that allows professionals with a master’s degree in any field to enter the classroom as a teacher.
