The East Baton Rouge School Board just gave their lead attorney a 40% pay raise

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The lead attorney for the East Baton Rouge Parish school system is staying on the job for at least two more years and will make $68,000 more a year annually courtesy of his bosses on the school board.

In a split vote, the board approved a two-year contract extension and pay raise for General Counsel Gwynn Shamlin at a special meeting Monday night.

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In 2018, then Superintendent Warren Drake tapped Shamlin, who was no longer practicing much as an attorney, to return to become the top legal official

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Shamlin did not attend Monday’s meeting; local attorney Dennis Blunt sat in as general counsel instead. Shamlin did not respond to a subsequent request for comment.

Superintendent LaMont Cole was also absent from the meeting.

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In 2022, the board renewed his contract, increasing his salary by more than $18,000 a year as well as giving him 3% annual increases.

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This time, Shamlin’s salary is increasing from about $170,000 to $238,000 a year. That makes him the second-highest paid administrator in the school district. His salary is now slightly higher than the salary earned by Deputy Superintendent Adam Smith, but less than the $285,000 a year that Cole makes.

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Board President Shashonnie Steward said the figure was settled on after she researched how much lead school attorneys are making in other larger urban school districts across the country. Steward said she received help from the Washington, D.C.-based Council of Great City Schools.

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In addition to the pay raise, Shamlin will begin receiving a $3,600 a year car allowance. Also new for him is district-funded electronic devices and cell service.

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Monday’s meeting was called late last week, and the meeting room was almost empty. Ordinarily, the board would have held its regular meeting this Thursday, but it opted instead to hold just one meeting this month on Dec. 4. That meeting had just one item, Cole's annual evaluation.

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In an online comment James Finney, a board watcher, questioned the rush.

“This item could and should have been handled in the regular course of business, without need for a special meeting,” Finney said.

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