Skip to main content

Mississippi educators will receive a pay raise

Email share
by
kobee vance
• Published on • Comments
Public school teachers and lawmakers sit in the gallery during a meeting of the conferees from both the House and Senate Education Committees, Wednesday, March 16, 2022, as they seek a compromise on their separate teacher pay bills at the Mississippi Capitol in Jackson.
AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis
News

A bill to raise teacher pay in Mississippi is headed to the governor’s desk after House lawmakers voted to adopt the measure Tueaday. Lawmakers have debated the legislation for months.

LISTEN HERE

00:0000:00

House Bill 530, also known as the START Act of 2022, will raise the starting salary of teachers in Mississippi, as well as offer larger step increases based on experience. The final measure is a combination of both the Senate and House plans. Speaker of the House Phillip Gunn says he is glad starting pay will be higher for Mississippi educators.

“We passed a bill that puts the starting pay beyond the national average, beyond the Southeastern average which is something that everyone had believed would allow us to recruit and retain teachers," Gunn explains. "We are very pleased that the plan that we put forward was the plan that was ultimately adopted.”

And Lt. Governor Delbert Hosemann says the increased pay for experienced teachers could help retain educators in the state.

“It’s something the teachers really have needed for a long time. I’m thrilled to death that they passed it.”

Teachers from across the state gathered at the capitol throughout the session urging lawmakers to pass the legislation. Antonio Castanon Luna is Executive Director of the Mississippi Association of Educators.

“I see this as a down payment for our future. In the coming years we need to address what it would be to provide significant salary raises to the rest of the education community,” says Luna. “Cafeteria workers, bus drivers, janitorial staff, additional education support personnel. Because we know that those individuals also impact our students’ lives and ultimately their success.”

Lawmakers say they expect Governor Tate Reeve will sign the bill.  On Tuesday, Reeves posted a message on social media in response to the bill's passage.