Local Educators Concerned Over Rising Insurance Premiums In Caddo

The Caddo Parish School Board voted to raise employee health insurance premiums again this year, marking the third straight increase at roughly seven and a half percent. Local educators are calling it an unsustainable pattern that pushes paychecks backward at a time when the district is already struggling to recruit and keep teachers.

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Jordan Thomas, president of Red River United, told KEEL News on Thursday that the situation is discouraging for employees who have gone eight years without a permanent raise.

Thomas admits that while stipends have helped temporarily, they were funded by short-term federal relief money that disappears next year. Without a lasting solution, Thomas warned that the increases will overshadow any temporary support that has been offered.

Higher Premiums, Higher Copays, But No Added Coverage

According to Thomas, employees are facing higher costs without any improvements to their health plans. This year’s changes include a significant bump in emergency room copays and a new minimum copay for specialty medications. Retirees are also feeling the impact as Medicare-eligible employees are shifted into fewer plan options.

For many workers, especially classified staff, the rising costs overshadow already modest wages. One paraprofessional told the board she earns roughly six hundred and eighty dollars every two weeks, a number that stunned many listening. Thomas said several full-time employees remain below the poverty line even while working every day in the school system.

Recruiting Caddo Teachers Gets Harder

Schools across Louisiana continue to battle teacher shortages, and Thomas said Caddo’s compensation structure makes it even harder to compete. Some neighboring districts pay ten thousand dollars more on average, but Caddo’s insurance investment schedule keeps employees tied to the parish if they want to retire with benefits. That means teachers feel stuck rather than supported, and many choose to leave the profession entirely.

Many Caddo Teachers Work Second Jobs To Stay Afloat

Thomas noted that working a second job has become the norm for Caddo teachers. Summer breaks often mean additional employment rather than time off, and many required trainings offer no pay. That level of burnout, she said, cannot continue indefinitely.

Caddo School Board Members Say They Want Raises, But Have Not Delivered

The Caddo Parish School Board continues to say they want to increase pay, but employees are asking for action instead of promises. Thomas stressed that a promise of a future raise does not help teachers trying to pay bills today.