BY DOUG GRAHAM | Deputy Metro Editor With school districts in the region competing for a small pool of candidates, starting teacher pay is a major draw, and East Baton Rouge public school leaders are trying to sweeten the pot with a proposed $2,200 salary boost. Chief Financial Officer Kelly Lopez told the school board Thursday night the district has a lot of money in its reserves and it is time to start spending it. Law enforcement is a dangerous job, a fact driven home by an incident Thursday in Baton Rouge. East Baton Rouge sheriff's deputies went with federal agents to execute a warrant at a local home. When they kicked open a bedroom door, a man with a gun opened fire. The deputies survived the incident, but it serves as a reminder of what they face in the field. During the final hours of the legislative session, Louisiana lawmakers approved a bill to allow some high schoolers to opt out of the ACT. Now, 10 members of the state board of education, including three appointed by Gov. Jeff Landry, have signed a letter opposing the measure. |