Terrebonne school board drops pay raise for superintendent

The Terrebonne Parish School Board has dropped a proposal to give Superintendent Philip Martin a pay raise.

The Courier reports Board President L.P. Bordelon said Martin asked the board to pull the motion Tuesday night.

The school board's executive committee had recommended increasing Martin's base salary from $134,500 to $155,000. No board member made a motion to adopt that recommendation, so the proposal failed without coming to a vote.

Martin did not ask for the raise. School board members who previously supported the increase, including Bordelon, said Terrebonne's superintendent makes less than other nearby superintendents who oversee smaller school districts.

Opponents of the raise argued it was unfair to grant Martin a pay increase during a period of budget cuts that have caused reductions in staff.