Gambling measures passed by lawmakers in a special session last month will only raise teachers’ salaries by $1,000 on average, according to state education officials.

&uot;During the special session, lawmakers were talking like those measures would raise $2,000 by themselves, but they will only raise $1,000,&uot;&160;said Carol Davis, Louisiana Association of Educators president. &uot;The other $1,000 will have to come from the MFP.&uot;

State teachers have pushed for pay raises of $3,000 to bring them up to the southeastern average, but say the gambling measures passed on March 22 won’t get them to that mark.

State Rep. Bryant Hammett, D-Ferriday, said that legislators used a $3,000 mark as a goal, but didn’t promise they could reach it.

&uot;The only time $3,000 was discussed was as to the amount it was going to take to bring teachers up to the regional average,&uot; he said. &uot;So $3,000 was our goal, but there was never an actual plan out there to bring it up to that amount.

&uot;And there’s not a plan to bring it up to that now,&uot; Hammett said. &uot;It would have to be a straight appropriation, and (lawmakers) are cutting everything as it is.&uot;

He said that to reach even the $2,000 mark, lawmakers will have to use the gaming money and approve an increase in the Minimum Foundation Program – the formula by which the state funds local school districts.

And lawmakers probably will not pass the MFP formula until after Easter, Hammett said.

The MFP formula was passed by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education last month but has to be approved by the Legislature to go into effect.

&uot;We (lawmakers) can either accept the formula they send us or go back to last year’s funding plan – there’s no middle ground. … I&160;think chances are good&uot; that lawmakers will pass the formula, Hammett said recently.

This year, that passage is especially significant because BESE has said it will mandate that local school districts use all of a $70 million increase in MFP funds in 2001-02 for raising teacher salaries.

The plan would bring average public school teacher pay to $35,198 a year, up from $33,109 a year during fiscal 2000 but still shy of the Southern regional average, according to the State Department of Education.

During the 2002-03 school year, half of the 2.75 percent increase in MFP funds would be set aside to raise teacher salaries. &uot;That’s important in order for us to keep reaching the regional average,&uot; Davis said.

Neither Davis nor Les Landon, spokesman for the Louisiana Federation of Teachers and School Employees, would say if raises produced by the current plan would be enough to avert possible teacher strikes.

But both said they believe lawmakers are making a more concerted effort than in the past to come up with enough money to bring teachers close to the Southern regional average.

&uot;If it’s real revenue and not just a fly-by-night proposal, and if they could bring us to within $300 to $400 of the (regional average) with additional revenue sources to bring that up even further in the future, … it might be calming&uot; to teachers calling for raises, Davis said.

She said lawmakers are working on several proposals to raise additional revenue for teacher salaries, but she wouldn’t give specifics, saying she did not want to &uot;squirrel&uot; the bills’ chances of getting passed.

&uot;We’re hopeful they’ll find another $1,000 this year,&uot;&160;Landon said. &uot;Right now, things are moving in the right direction, so you aren’t seeing the teacher walkouts that you used to see.&uot;

&uot;But there’s still the question of raises for support employees. And at the first sign (lawmakers) are moving backwards, you will see renewed protests&uot; that could include local or statewide walkouts, he said.