(The Center Square) — The Louisiana legislature has approved Gov. Jeff Landry’s order to shift $168 million in the state’s school funding formula toward one-time educator stipends, according to three lawmakers.
The House vote was 76-8, with one abstention, clearing the two-thirds threshold Landry needs in that chamber. The Senate passed the order 37-1, with Sen. Royce Dupless, D-New Orleans opposed.
Even with the legislative approval, the fate of the order remains tied up in court.
A Baton Rouge judge last week issued a temporary restraining order halting Landry’s plan to reduce the Minimum Foundation Program by $168 million and redirect the money toward one-time stipends for teachers and school support staff. A hearing on whether to keep the injunction in place is scheduled for June 29.
The vote proceeded despite the lawsuit. One person familiar with the process said the Legislature would continue voting and then wait to see how the courts rule if the order passes.
The order would fund $2,000 payments for classroom teachers and $1,000 payments for support workers, plus associated retirement costs. But the lawsuit challenging the move argues the governor cannot unilaterally reduce the MFP and then decide where the money goes next.
At the center of the dispute is not whether teachers should receive extra pay, but who has the constitutional authority to move the money.
The court found the plaintiffs had made an initial showing that the executive order may violate the separation of powers by taking over a funding decision reserved for the Legislature. The restraining order also questioned whether the governor’s limited authority to reduce an MFP appropriation allows him to redirect the money to a separate purpose of his choosing.
Landry signed the executive order June 2 after voters rejected a constitutional amendment that would have created a permanent funding source for teacher stipends.
