THE ZACHA Y
ADVOCATE& T H E A D V O C AT E.C O M
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W e d n e s d ay, J u ly 8, 2026
Zachary school employees get pay raises
AMERICA
Leila Pitchford AROUND ZACHARY
Back 2 School Block Party set July 18 Councilman Brandon Noel invites families from across the community to attend the Back 2 School Block Party from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., July 18, at Mount Pleasant Baptist Church, 22911 Reames Road, Zachary. The free community event will provide an opportunity for students and families to celebrate the start of a new school year while enjoying an afternoon of family-friendly fun, community fellowship, refreshments and entertainment. School supplies will be distributed while supplies last. MAX 94.1 will be on-site with a live remote broadcast, bringing music, giveaways and entertainment throughout the event. For information, contact Aleshia Taylor at (225) 276-6720 or Michelle Veal at (225) 2416690.
Retired teachers to meet The Louisiana Retired Teacher Association invites all retired teachers and school staff to attend a free meeting as it creates a functioning retired teachers’ group in the area. A meeting will be at 2 p.m. July 28, at West Feliciana High School Auditorium, 8604 U.S. 61, St. Francisville. The Louisiana Retired Teachers Association is a nonprofit organization that is devoted to protecting and enhancing benefits for individuals receiving retirement benefits from the Teachers’ Retirement System of Louisiana. For more information follow LRTA on Facebook or visit lrta.net.
BY CHARLES LUSSIER Staff writer
Following Mayor David McDavid on an antique fire truck, a resident drives a golf cart decorated for the Fourth of July during a parade through the Americana Development on Saturday in Zachary.
ALL IN ON RED, WHITE & BLUE
Miss Zachary Pageant set A Miss Zachary Pageant will be held Aug. 8 at the St. John the Baptist Church gym. Divisions range from babies to adults. For information, email contact@lacotillionaux.org. Miss Zachary queens will reign as hostess at the Zachary Really Hot Air Balloon Festival and represent and promote the festival.
Learn about menopause Menopausium: Strong through the Shift will be held from 9 a.m. to noon July 18 at Americana YMCA, 4200 Liberty Way, Zachary. It will feature education, local wellness vendors, giveaways and more. Fee is $20 or free for YMCA members. Visit https://tinyurl. com/jknwm22u to register.
Market set for Baker Baker’s Fresh Market will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Aug. 22, Oct. 24 and Nov. 21 at the city of Baker School Board Office, 14750 Plank Road.
State representative to speak Rep. Roy Daryl Adams will speak at the Baker Chamber of Commerce Lunch and Learn at 11:30 a.m., July 23, at Ruffins Showroom. 14502 Plank Road, Baker. Adams will speak about the 2026 legislative session.
Summer Santa at the market The Zachary Farmers and Artisans Market will host Summer Santa from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. July 11. Free pictures with Santa are available. Live music and treats available as well as vendors.
ä See AROUND, page 4G
12TH YEAR, NO. 39
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STAFF PHOTOS BY MICHAEL JOHNSON
Children roll along while wearing red, white and blue during the parade. ä More photos. PAGE 4G
PARTY LIKE IT’S 1776
Lagniappe Historic Dance and Pastime Society celebrate America’s 250th anniversary with dance party at library BY MELINDA RAWLS HOWELL Contributing writer
The 250th anniversary of Independence Day celebrations started early — on June 29 at the East Baton Rouge Parish Library’s Zachary Branch — as dancers performed colonial period dances in period attire. Members of the Lagniappe Historic Dance and Pastime Society demonstrated dance moves from English country dances and other popular dances from the times. They also shared the revelry inviting audience members to join in. Dance mistress Roxanne
PHOTO BY MELINDA RAWLS HOWELL
With just a little encouragement, young Daisy Rothschild, of St. Francisville, joins in the fun and danced in celebration of the 250th ä See PARTY, page 2G anniversary celebration at the Zachary branch library.
Capitalizing quickly on a strong show of confidence from voters, Zachary school leaders have approved an across-the-board pay raise for district employees, the first of likely several raises over the next few years. The Zachary School Board voted unanimously for the raises three days after voters on June 27 endorsed the district’s Zachary Forward initiative. The annual raises, which go into effect immediately, are $2,000 for teachers and $1,000 for support workers. “This shows our employees that we’re actually serious about this,” Yolanda Williams, human resources director for the suburban Baton Rouge school district, told the board. “We’re not just holding off on it. We wanted to make sure that salary was there.” The raises won’t appear in the paychecks of classroom teachers until the Aug. 15 payroll. Teachers return from summer break on Aug. 3 and classes start Aug. 6. A year ago, Zachary approved an identical set of pay raises in advance of the 2025-26 school year. That raise and the latest raise increase annual salaries by $4,000 for teachers and $2,000 for support workers. And there’s more to come. The Zachary Forward plan freezes in place 24 mills in property taxes that were set to expire over the next 7 years. Instead of paying for school construction, the tax will finance raises for teachers and staff. Over time, the taxes are estimated to generate at least $8.4 million annually for increased pay. The vote by the Zachary school board was taken at a specially called meeting Tuesday. For starting teachers, salaries are increasing from $52,022 to $54,022 a year. The district’s goal is, over time, to increase starting teacher salaries to more than $60,000 a year. In the Baton Rouge region, only Iberville Parish pays more than $60,000 in annual salary to starting teachers. Other districts are getting close. For instance, West Feliciana Parish recently approved a $7,000 stipend for the next two years for all its school employees, bringing its starting teacher salary to just shy of $60,000 a year. Lifting Zachary teacher salaries above $60,000 annually looked doubtful just a few months ago. In November, voters defeated the initial version of the Zachary Forward proposal. Voter discontent that day was amplified by opposition across East Baton Rouge Parish to the Thrive initiative, which sought to redirect some library, Council on Aging and mosquito abatement property taxes. Zachary leaders tweaked their initiative, focusing the money solely on employee compensation, and tried again. Zachary voters this time gave their strong assent, voting for the initiative by a 62% to 38% margin. Between November and June, turnout increased from 25% to 33%. That equates to almost 1,600 additional voters. “We just connected with every group, everybody we could think of, to give them the information,” said Superintendent Ben Necaise. The 24 mills are not yet available for employee pay. That won’t start happening until January when local property owners pay their annual tax bills. The school district is financing the initial months of the pay raise with existing funds. Zachary is likely to increase pay again soon, in the form of one-time stipends. It’s an outgrowth of Gov. Jeff Landry’s plan to cut nearly $170
ä See RAISES, page 4G