Louisiana voters voted “NO” on a constitutional amendment that would have funded permanent teacher pay raises, leaving the future of educator salaries uncertain. Sean Richardson has more.
Cut 1 (36) “…I’m Sean Richardson.”
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For those of you who cross North Louisiana on I-20, get ready for some delays. Andrew Greenstein reports.
Cut 2 (35) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”
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The rejection of Constitutional Amendment 2 by voters leaves the future of educator salaries uncertain. Passage of Amendment 2 would have made a temporary $2,000 pay increase for teachers and $1,000 increase for support staff permanent. Without its passage, these stipends will expire after this school year, potentially lowering pay unless new funding is secured. Louisiana Federation of Teachers and School Employees President Larry Carter…
Cut 3 (12) “…local school districts.”
Landry warned before the vote that no alternative plan existed, and his administration has not confirmed whether it will support additional stipends. The amendment would have dissolved education trust funds to pay down teacher retirement debt, freeing up about $200 million annually for raises. Carter says the complexity of the amendment led to its defeat.
Cut 4 (09) “…that was needed.”
With a budget shortfall and no current funding allocated, securing teacher pay hike is a challenge. Carter says the Louisiana Federation of Teachers is working with legislators to explore solutions, but funding is uncertain.
Cut 5 (11) “…here in Louisiana.”
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Construction is underway in Lincoln Parish on a nine-mile stretch of I-20. Erin Buchanan with DOTD says crews will be replacing the asphalt.
Cut 6 (11) “…of course with new.”
Buchanan says the work stretches between the Bienville Parish line to the Highway 149 overpass near Grambling. Buchanan says since this is a heavily-traveled section, they will be implementing a queue-detection system to give motorists real-time traffic conditions.
Buchanan says if you’re traveling in that area, be prepared for delays for the foreseeable future.
Cut 8 (05) “…hopefully early summer.”
The asphalt on the ramps at highways 507 and 563 will also need to be replaced as part of the nearly 18-million-dollar project.
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LSU men’s basketball team suffered through a losing season this year, but Coach Matt McMahon is trying to bring a winner to the Boot and has much bigger NIL budget to bring in better players…
Cut 9 (13) “…impacting winning.”
LSU signed two players on Monday. UNLV point guard Dedan Thomas, who chose the Tigers over Kentucky and Florida. He led the Runnin’ Rebels in scoring and assists, averaging 15 points and four assists a game this season. The Tigers have also signed six-foot-ten Michael Nwoko (nuh-WOE-koe), who started at Mississippi State and averaged six points a game. McMahon says they are type of players they wanted to add
LSU went 3-15 in the SEC and finished in 15th place. But McMahon says Vanderbilt and Missouri were in the NCAA Tournament this season after finishing at the bottom of the conference standings a year ago…
Cut 11 (12) “…leadership standpoint.”
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Following the rejection of Constitutional Amendment Two, Governor Jeff Landry released a statement and there’s one sentence from the statement that drew the ire from voters. Landry said positive change can be hard to implement in a state conditioned to fail. The statement quickly went viral, generating thousands of reactions on social media, with many accusing him of insulting the state and its people. Political analyst Clancy Dubos…
Users expressed anger and disbelief, questioning his leadership and tone. Some criticized the amendments themselves, arguing they were overly complex and bundled too many issues together. ubos says its not a fatal loss but could become one if Landry keeps going down this road.
Cut 13 (07) “…on any governor.”
The overwhelming negative response highlighted public frustration, both with the governor’s remarks and the amendment process itself, showing a strong disconnect between Landry’s perspective and voter sentiment. Dubos says Landry needs to learn from this defeat and apologize for his comments.