This week, education advocacy group Mississippi First released "Falling Behind: Teacher Compensation and the Race Against Inflation." The report surveyed thousands of teachers about the impact of the pay raise both before and after it was implemented.
Toren Ballard is the K-12 Policy Director at Mississippi First as well as the co-author of the report. He says nearly half of the teachers contacted still plan to leave their current classrooms within the next year.
“We found widespread financial insecurity amongst teachers. We found plenty of teachers who were very eager to leave the classroom,” he said. “When we did the follow up survey, we actually found very similar results again. … So most Mississippi teachers continue to struggle to afford basic necessities like housing and health care.”
When the pay raise was implemented, teachers around the state were set to receive raises of about $5,000, on average. Before the bill, Mississippi had some of the lowest starting pay rates for teachers in the country. It’s no longer in last place, but Ballard says neighboring states like Arkansas are catching up at a much faster pace, and one raise is not enough.
“Mississippi teachers are actually earning, on an inflation-adjusted basis, less than at any point in the 21st century,” he said. “So Mississippi teacher pay is at a century low. By my own calculations, if we were to give a $5,000 raise to Mississippi teachers in the coming year, we'd finally be able to give them a real raise that actually increases their buying power.”
The study also suggested policies to offer incentives to teachers who work in high-need areas.
