Support Workers Get One-Time $1,000 Checks

East Baton Rouge Parish support workers would receive $1,000 checks on December 23 if the board gives final approval.

Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Administration

Support Workers Get One-Time $1,000 Checks

Live Poll

Should school support staff receive one-time stipends instead of permanent raises?

The East Baton Rouge Parish School Board voted unanimously to recommend $1,000 checks for all district support workers, following a state executive order that mandated stipends for school employees. Final approval is expected at the board's November 19 meeting, with payment scheduled for December 23.

Why it matters

Gov. Jeff Landry's executive order requires school stipends after Louisiana voters rejected two constitutional amendments that would have funded permanent teacher pay raises. For Louisiana families, the order shifts how school staffing is paid and leaves districts to find the money within existing education funding.

The East Baton Rouge Parish School Board estimates the checks will cost $755,160, with $358,214 added from district funds. The executive order cut $168 million from the state's main education fund while mandating $2,000 for teachers and $1,000 for support staff.

The players

Gov. Jeff Landry

Louisiana's governor, who issued the executive order mandating stipends for school employees and cutting $168 million from the state's main education fund.

East Baton Rouge Parish School Board

The local board governing the parish's public schools, which voted unanimously to recommend $1,000 checks for district support workers.

The details

Landry ordered school districts to pay the stipends from already authorized state education funding rather than adding money in the state budget. Districts may be exempted if they already pay stipends at or above the order's levels or approved sizable 2026-27 pay raises. East Baton Rouge's teacher pay raise, approved in June, added $8,500 a year on average, which qualified the district only for a partial waiver.

2023 to 2025: Legislature allocated about $200 million yearly for one-time staff payments.
2025: Voters rejected the first constitutional amendment for permanent teacher raises.
June: Landry issued the executive order, and the district approved its teacher pay raise.
May: Voters rejected a second proposed constitutional amendment.
November 19: The board is expected to give final approval to the checks.

The Home Front

The stipend mandate follows two voter rejections of constitutional amendments that would have funded permanent teacher pay raises in place of annual one-time payments. Louisiana's school staffing costs are now being carried through existing education funding rather than new state appropriations.

If you work or have family members who work as support staff in East Baton Rouge Parish schools, watch the November 19 board vote and the December 23 payment date. Households planning around school-year income should note that these are one-time checks, not permanent raises.

The takeaway

State-mandated stipends are one-time payments that rely on existing education funding, so they do not change permanent pay. Check the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board's November 19 agenda and December 23 payment timing if you are affected.

What happens next

The East Baton Rouge Parish School Board is expected to give final approval to the $1,000 support worker checks at its November 19 meeting, with payment scheduled for December 23.