Rural Louisiana teachers set to get $50K bonuses all thanks to Metas AI data center

Some teachers in a tiny Louisiana parish are reportedly poised to pocket bonuses of more than $50,000 — a windfall powered partly by Meta’s massive AI data-center buildout.Richland Parish School Board said teachers will receive bonuses of up to $50,935 this year, a staggering jump from last year’s maximum of $10,200, after sales-tax receipts surged during construction of Meta’s 4 million-square-foot Hyperion data center.The payouts could exceed some teachers’ annual salaries, the Wall Street Journal reported.District pay ranges from $29,504 to $52,335, according to the latest available school data cited in the report.The rural parish collected $42.9 million in sales and use tax during the first nine months of the current fiscal year — more than double last year’s total, according to the Northwest Louisiana Finance Authority.Meta separately made a $22.4 million tax payment to the parish in May, the authority said.The teacher bonuses are funded through a 1% sales tax approved under a 1968 ordinance.“As you can see, things like this are huge benefits to our people here,” said Scott Franklin, a director of the parish’s chamber of commerce who sold land for the data center to Meta.“Anybody that complains about teachers getting a $50,000 check, they just instantly lose all credibility with me,” Franklin added.Meta’s Louisiana project has become a potent counterpoint for tech giants battling rising opposition to data centers, as critics warn of strains on housing, power and affordability.When the project was announced, Louisiana’s economic-development agency said the $10 billion facility would create 500 direct local jobs, 1,000 indirect jobs and employ 5,000 construction workers.It remains unclear how many jobs will last after construction ends.Data centers typically require far fewer workers once operational.Friday Ellis, mayor of nearby Monroe, estimated the project has brought about 8,000 new workers to the area.The boom has poured money in...