In response to ExxonMobile requesting four tax breaks that would be worth millions of dollars, East Baton Rouge School Teachers voted on Tuesday, October 23, 2018 to walk out of their class rooms Halloween morning.
The Industrial Tax Exemption Program, or ITEP was implemented in 1974 to allow businesses tax breaks to help increase job opportunities.
The program hasn’t changed since then, but all this money is going to these businesses and education normally runs short when it comes to funding.
EBR school teachers haven’t had a raise in 10 years and even though some schools have received upgrades in textbooks and technology, some, like Broadmoor High School, are a little left behind.
Even so, most of the teachers aren’t doing this just for an increase in their paychecks, they are tired of feeling underappreciated.