Vermilion Parish School Board members have not received pay raise in 42 years

With school teachers and support staff seeking pay raises throughout Louisiana, one Vermilion Parish School Board member feels school board members in the state should also get a pay raise.
At the end of Thursday’s school board meeting, during board commentary, long-time school board member Kibbie Pillette had a request for Superintendent Tommy Byler.
Pillette told the board that when Bobby Jindal was governor, he created ACT 1, which gives the superintendent power to run the school district.
Also, in ACT I, according to Pillette, there is a clause in the act that limits how much a school board member can make a year. As a result, school board members can no longer request a pay raise when the school district reaches that amount.
That is where the school board members are today, according to Pillette. Each board member makes $9,600 a year or $800 a month in Vermilion Parish.
The Vermilion Parish school board gave itself a raise in 1981. The salary jumped from $600 a month to $800.
That was 42 years ago, and the salary has been $800 since.
Pillette said no one wants to be a school board member because of the low pay.
“This is my last term, and I have been talking to people about running to replace me,” Pillette said. “No one wants to do it for $800 a month. It cost you more than that to run.”
So, Pillette wants to get Byler to write a resolution that would allow school boards throughout the state to give itself a pay raise, like the police jury, he said.
“The police jury makes twice as much as us, which is not right,” said Pillette.
After the resolution is written, the school board will read it and then vote on it. If it is approved, then the resolution will be sent to Baton Rouge.
The state legislature has to vote to change the policy.
Hearing Pillette’s idea for the first time, School Board Member Chris Hebert was not in favor of the resolution.
“I cannot support that unless teachers get a pay raise,” said Hebert.