LAFAYETTE, La. — The Lafayette Parish School Board has approved a $65,000 pay increase and contract extension for Superintendent Francis Touchet, citing the district’s progress and high performance under his leadership.
“If we expect our leader to be the greatest, we need to pay him or pay her the exact amount that they are worth,” said Lafayette Parish School Board President Hannah Mason.
The raise follows an annual school board evaluation in which Touchet scored 3.8 out of 4, up from 3.5 the previous year.
“I am here for every student, every community, every one of our staff and support personnel, to make sure that the quality of education that's happening in Lafayette Parish is just that: quality,” Touchet said.
This comes at a time when teacher salaries in Lafayette Parish for the 2025–2026 school year range from about $50,000 to $113,000, depending on experience and education. However, Mason noted that Touchet has worked to secure teacher raises, stipends, and additional compensation for coaches.
The superintendent’s new $300,000 annual salary places him just above East Baton Rouge’s superintendent, who earns $285,000, despite Lafayette ranking fifth in district size compared to East Baton Rouge’s second.
“Sales tax dollars, property taxes up… again, this is money that will come out of the general fund. Nothing was cut out. Nothing was taken away,” Touchet said.
Touchet could earn up to an additional $17,000 in performance bonuses tied to metrics such as academic growth, student enrollment, attendance, and graduation rates. Mason stressed the importance of measurable goals, stating, “We can easily look at data and make sure that we're continuing to improve. We have a lot of state legislation that tells us what we have to measure.”
The school board says it has already seen steady improvement, and Touchet points to top statewide results as evidence of progress. “This is a free public choice that I'm happy to say that Lafayette Parish is the number one large school district in the state of Louisiana as far as performance is concerned,” he said.
While some debate continues over pay priorities and district direction, board members and the superintendent say the focus remains on continuing academic growth and supporting both students and educators.
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