La. Lawmakers Give Education Big Boost

The following offers highlights of the recent legislative sessions. Precollegiate enrollment figures are based on fall 2006 data reported by state officials for public elementary and secondary schools. The figures for precollegiate education spending do not include federal flow-through funds, unless noted.

Education will see an unusually large spending increase under the 2007-08 budget package adopted in Louisiana, with substantial pay raises for teachers, a set of new high school initiatives, and additional technology spending, among other items.

All told, the K-12 budget will climb to $3.48 billion, an increase of $462 million—or 15 percent—over the fiscal year that ended June 30, according to...