As my grandfather would say “strike while the iron is hot”.

We give thanks to our Louisiana Legislators for standing up for school districts across Louisiana by approving raises for all school employees. We give thanks to the current management of the Iberia Parish school system for taking the brave steps of closing and consolidating of schools after the loss of students and funding.

Now is the time for the IPSB to provide “classroom” teachers with an additional raise of $1,000 which would get our classroom teachers closer to the Southern U.S. average. Our classroom teachers are on the front lines of our educational system. Classroom teachers deserve a better raise.

How will we pay for these raises you ask? The IPSB has operated in the red for the last 4 years. 2018-2019 is also projected to close in the red; that would be 5 years printing financial statements using red ink. It is time to stop the madness! We need to stand up and be counted by cutting another 4 or 5 million dollars from our expenses to operate in the black.

Yes, cutting 4 or 5 million dollars will not be popular with some in Iberia Parish. But, it is time to make brave financial decisions.

It is also time to invest some of the savings we can generate through cost cuts to increase the classroom teachers salaries.

It will cost IPSB about 1 million dollars to give classroom teachers an additional $1,000 raise. That is an investment I am willing to make.

The expense cuts are needed to put our school system in the black. Out with the red ink and in with the black ink!

I cannot vote to approve another budget printed with red ink. It is time the IPSB stop spending more money than they take in.

Come to the school board meetings and let us hear your opinion. We meet the first and third Wednesday every month.

We can do it. Will you stand with me?

Mike Mayeux

Iberia Parish School Board Member, District 6

New Iberia