At Thursday’s school board meeting, tempers flared as conversations that had taken place largely online exploded during the usually staid, formal proceedings. In a room overflowing with people, teachers voiced disappointment and a sense of betrayal for the better part of two hours.
One teacher called for board member Kellee Hennessy Dickerson, an outspoken opponent of the tax, to “possibly resign.”
“You’re kind of stuck between a rock and a hard place,” said Stephanie Cambre, an elementary school teacher in the parish who has been teaching since 2005. “It’s hard to believe Livingston Parish voters — those that turned out — felt that teachers weren’t worth that one cent per dollar.”
‘A hard pill to swallow’
Cambre, 40, has previously left Livingston Parish for two other neighboring school districts — but she says she returned, despite the pay cut, because of how supported she feels in Livingston.
Nevertheless, she said it stings a bit that her husband, who changed careers several years ago to become a teacher and now works in East Baton Rouge Parish, is making more money than she is, even though she has an advanced degree and almost two decades of experience.
“It’s a hard pill to swallow,” she said. “He’s doing what he feels is necessary, and I love teaching in Livingston Parish.”
Cambre is not alone. Teachers flocked to Thursday’s meeting to share how they can’t imagine leaving their students and schools.
Miranda Moore, who teachers at Denham Springs High School and is married to another teacher, said that she and her husband worry constantly about finances while they raise their four children together: Will their car break down this month? Will someone get sick?
“We love our school, we love our students,” she said. “We give 110% every day and we would like to continue to do that for the community.”
Kyle Digby, a teacher at Live Oak High School, told the board that educators have made the parish attractive because of the strong school system, and property values have risen accordingly.
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