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Raises for La. teachers would come at a cost, critics say Vote on constitutional amendment is March 29
BY ELYSE CARMOSINO | Staff writer
MID CITY TARDY GRAS
TOP: The Baton Rouge BeignYAYS dance down North Boulevard in the Mid City Gras parade on Sunday. Rain postponed Mid City’s celebration originally set for Feb. 23. MIDDLE RIGHT: Paradegoers wave as the Mid City Gras parade passes. RIGHT: The Hotsteppers dance in the parade on Sunday.
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Mayor-president has made it priority to provide more homeless services BY AIDAN McCAHILL | Staff writer
Louisiana wildlife chief to take a top job at ICE
Madison Sheahan, secretary of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, is leaving to take a top role in Immigration and Customs Enforcement in President Donald Trump’s administration, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced Sunday morning. Sheahan will serve as deputy director, Noem said. “It’s no surprise that President @realDonaldTrump has
WEATHER HIGH 71 LOW 43 PAGE 12A
ä See RAISES, page 6A
Homelessness, mental health twin challenges for Baton Rouge
PHOTOS By APRIL BUFFINGTON
BY ALYSE PFEIL | Staff writer
Louisiana residents will vote March 29 on a constitutional amendment that may seem cut-and-dry: Permanently raise teacher pay by $2,000 and support staff pay by $1,000. Louisiana teacher salaries are much lower than their counterparts in other states, and, despite years of promised raises, they’ve only received one-time stipends the past two years. Gov. Jeff Landry has strongly expressed support for increasing educator pay, saying in November that doing so would be “a much-deserved win for our unsung heroes.” “The truth is, we have the money to pay our teachers properly,” he said, “if we make the changes to unshackle ourselves from the bad decisions of the past.” But there’s a trade-off: If voters approve the constitutional change, known as Amendment 2, to free up money for teacher pay, it would mean diverting millions of dollars that help fund education efforts throughout the state each year, including early education programs and scholarships for aspiring teachers. “This is not free money,” said Jan Moller, executive director of Invest in Louisiana, a nonpartisan research and policy think tank that opposes the proposed amendment. Though state leaders have said they will likely be able to find other funding for some
tapped Madison Sheahan to help lead the Immigration, Customs, and Enforcement Agency,” Gov. Jeff Landry said in a post on social media platform X. “I look forward to working with Madison in her new role.” Landry said the department’s deputy secretary, Tyler Bosworth, “will be detailed to handle the responsibilities of the Secretary until Madison assumes her official role.”
ä See SHEAHAN, page 6A
Madison Sheahan, secretary of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, is leaving to take a top role in Immigration and Customs Enforcement. STAFF FILE PHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS
The intersection of North 16th and Convention streets is the visible epicenter of the homeless population in Baton Rouge. The Society of St. Vincent de Paul of Baton Rouge serves lunch to roughly 125 people every day there. During freezing weather one day in February, volunteers ladled hot soup to patrons as the shelter became a crowded refuge of warmth. Around the corner, a police car idled near the church’s shelter, as a woman handed out vouchers for warm clothes from a nearby thrift store. Edwards The city’s homeless population is estimated to be about 400. Newly elected Mayor-President Sid Edwards has made it a top priority to provide more homeless services. For him, that population is the most tangible manifestation of a mental health crisis he vowed to address on the campaign trail. “It’s an enormous issue,” Edwards said in a recent interview. “The people that are on the
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ä See CHALLENGES, page 4A
100TH yEAR, NO. 253