DeSoto Parish School Board approves 6.8% across‑the‑board pay raise and one‑time incentives

Miss Phillips, the district's HR director, presented a proposed change to the 2026–27 salary schedule that includes a 6.8% across‑the‑board pay raise for every full‑time certified and classified employee and a separate, one‑time incentive package aimed at hard‑to‑staff subjects and schools.

The proposal, which the board approved after discussion, would pay the base raise monthly and distribute incentive payments as stipends in June. "The across the board pay raise will be for everyone, certified and classified, and our proposal is a pay raise of 6.8% across the board," Miss Phillips said during the presentation.

The incentive structure targets two areas: hard‑to‑staff content and hard‑to‑staff schools. For special education (SPED) content, the district proposed $3,000/year for teachers who are fully SPED‑certified, $2,000 for those working toward SPED certification, and $1,000 for non‑certified instructors who are pursuing certification. For schools designated "hard to staff" under a rubric of staffing, student need and working conditions, certified core and SPED teachers would receive $2,500, certified non‑core teachers $1,500, and those working toward certification $1,000, all paid as a year‑end stipend.

Board members pressed staff for budget detail and eligibility rules. Finance staff said the 6.8% raise would cost the district about $3.3 million annually; the incentive package was budgeted for up to $550,000 in a worst‑case payout scenario, producing a combined planning figure of roughly $3.9–4.0 million. A board member asked about the tax/retirement cost on stipends; presenters confirmed those employer costs are included in the district calculations.

Members debated an attendance eligibility clause for the incentives that would disqualify employees who miss more than 30 days in a school year, and asked that medical and maternity leave be excluded or otherwise clarified. Staff said FMLA and documentation will be used to distinguish medical leaves from non‑medical absences and that principals review monthly attendance and follow up with personnel when necessary.

Miss Phillips also described other salary‑schedule changes: phasing down a previously higher math supplement for new hires (from $10,000 to a $5,000 maximum for hires after July 1, 2026), moving certain bookkeepers from 11‑month to 12‑month schedules, aligning LPN pay to the instructor scale, and addressing minor day‑count inconsistencies on several support schedules.

After questions and discussion, speaker 4 moved to approve the salary schedule and incentive package; speaker 2 seconded. The board took a voice vote and the motion carried. The motion record in the minutes shows a voice vote with members saying "aye," and no roll‑call tally was recorded.

Board staff said the incentive package is a one‑time allocation and the 6.8% salary increase is permanent unless revisited by future actions. The presentation materials and budget assumptions used a conservative, five‑year sustainability model that staff said preserves reserve policy minimums.

What happens next: staff will implement the schedule changes as approved and proceed with the administrative steps to pay raises monthly and distribute incentives in June where eligibility is met.