A new study ranks Louisiana as one of the worst states for public school teachers.
Louisiana is No. 48 in the WalletHub study, which developed the measures looking at a variety of factors.
Louisiana was ahead of North Carolina, Arizona and Hawaii. The study includes 51 school systems – all 50 states, plus the District of Columbia.
The metrics included teacher salaries, teachers’ income growth potential, average teacher pensions, tenure protections, the number of uncertified teachers, the quality of the school systems, pupil-teacher ratios, public school spending per student, safety and administrator support, among others.
The average Louisiana teacher salary in 2016-17 was $48,709 for teachers with a bachelor's degree, according to state data. Teachers can earn more with higher degrees and experience.
Earlier this month, Gov. John Bel Edwards said he plans to propose a $1,000 salary increase for teachers next year.
According to the study, Louisiana is tied for fifth in the country for the lowest pupil-teacher ratio. However, WalletHub also ranks Louisiana’s school system as the worst in the country.
In previous months, Louisiana education officials have touted some gains, including more high school students earning college credits, more graduates going to college and a higher graduation rate.
They also applauded students for earning more mastery scores on social studies LEAP tests, but acknowledged that more needs to be done to improve math skills and build early literacy skills.
Other state rankings include:
- Louisiana is 29th for average teacher salary.
- Louisiana is 23rd in terms of public school spending per student.
- Louisiana is 49th for teachers’ income growth potential.
- Louisiana is 31st in terms of 10-year changes in teacher salaries.
- Louisiana is 46th for teacher safety.
The study ranked the best states for teachers as New York, Connecticut, Minnesota, Illinois and North Dakota.