In 2009, the State stopped increasing the Minimum Foundation Program (MFP) to account for inflation. Since that time, the value of State support for Louisiana’s students and teachers has steadily eroded. While funding has nominally increased, in 2026 dollars, the Base Per Pupil has decreased by $1,806 – losing close to one-third of its value.
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Inflation’s Impact Since 2010, inflation has risen by 51% percent. This means that a dollar in 2010 would require roughly $1.51 in 2026 to maintain the same level of purchasing power. $10,000 in 2010 requires $15,100 today. |
This gap shows up in real ways:
- Teacher pay has gone from above the Southern Regional Average to far below it.
- Districts are struggling financially, even though they have fewer students.
- In 2010, the state covered an average of 55% of funding for public schools. Today, it shoulders less than half of the burden at 44%.
This is not a New Orleans specific issue. Rural districts who have less taxing capacity are likely taking an even bigger hit than cities.
The State can reinvest the savings from the decline in student population and dedicate it to teacher pay to begin addressing this problem.
Louisiana’s Public School Funding Formula: The MFP
Louisiana’s school funding formula, the MFP, is designed to guarantee a baseline level of education for every child. The formula is complex, but at its core is the Base Per Pupil (Level 1).
Base Per Pupil (Level 1): Intent vs. Reality
When the formula was first developed, the Base Per Pupil amount was a calculation intended to cover the essential “Net Instructional Expenditures” of a school district. This included:
- Teacher and Support Salaries: The baseline pay required to staff a standard classroom.
- Instructional Materials: Textbooks, paper, and basic classroom supplies.
- Administrative Support: The “back-office” costs at the school and district level necessary to keep the doors open.
For years, the MFP contained a cost-of-living clause that automatically upped the Base Per Pupil. In 2009, this provision was removed from the formula and since then the increase has been minimal.
In 2026 dollars, the Base Per Pupil has lost 31% of its purchasing power.
The bottom line: The Base Per Pupil has not remotely kept up with the cost of a minimum foundation of education.
The Result: Teachers are not getting the pay raises they deserve. Louisiana has gone from paying teachers above the average salary reported by the Southern Regional Education Board to almost $6,000 below.
The Southern Regional Education Board aggregates data from 16 states for these calculations: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia.
State Funding vs. Student Enrollment
Opponents of increasing MFP funding argue that the state’s contribution has increased despite declining student enrollment. While it is true that state spending on the MFP has grown from $3.31 billion in 2010 to $4.41 billion today, when adjusted for inflation, the value of the state’s contribution has fallen 1.8x times faster than the decline in student enrollment, creating a defunding gap.
The Gap: While the number of students (blue line) has gone down slightly, the actual value of state funding (green line) has fallen almost two times faster. The shaded area is the state’s “Defunding Gap” that results from not adjusting its funding for inflation.
Local Districts Now Carry the Greater Share
In Louisiana, funding of public education is a shared responsibility between the State and the local school districts.
Louisiana adopted the first version of this student-based MFP formula in 1992. In this inaugural formula, the State contributed 57% of the total costs and local school districts contributed 43%. This split remained fairly constant for many years.
As the State stopped increasing funding for the MFP, the burden has shifted to the local school districts. Looking at funding for public schools, including state-funded pay raises, the State share of total spending has declined from 55% in 2010 to 46% in 2025.
Local districts now fund more than the state.
AND LOCAL DISTRICTS HAVE INCREASED THEIR FUNDING BY MORE THAN THE INFLATION RATE.
While the state has a defunding gap, local districts are contributing $820 million more than needed to keep pace with inflation.
So, What Do We Do?
We can lessen the teacher pay gap by simply keeping education dollars in education. Local communities are doing everything they can to support their schools and teachers. If Louisiana wants to pay our talented teachers appropriately and keep them in Louisiana, it’s time for the state to step up!
The Down Payment: If Constitutional Amendment #3 is approved, teachers will receive a permanent $2,250 pay raise (replacing the current one-time stipends.) However, it still leaves our educators nearly $3,700 behind our Southern neighbors.
The Next Step: We should reallocate the resources that are freed up by a declining student population to address the teacher pay gap.
- Since 2019, public school enrollment has declined from 683,967 to 628,479; a decrease of 55,488 students. If enrollment had remained steady, the state would be spending at least $300 million more annually through the MFP.
- While it is not practical to recapture these savings by asking the legislature to increase the MFP by $300 million, Louisiana is projected to see a continuing decline in student enrollment. It is realistic to amend the MFP formula now to reinvest the future savings of fewer students into teacher pay raises.