Two bills to raise teacher pay faced deadlines yesterday; a plan by the Senate that would increase salaries with an emphasis on experience, and a House bill that would primarily raise wages for beginning teachers and teachers' assistants. Neither chamber had scheduled to take up the other’s teacher pay bill prior to deadline day, and House leadership allowed the Senate bill to die. Kelly Riley is Executive Director of Mississippi Professional Educators.
“We are extremely disappointed in the House of Representatives. The Senate sent them two great pay raise bills. And the leadership with the House of Representatives has chosen to let those bills die on the calendar,” says Riley. “And I think that that is a very sad message that the leadership of the Mississippi House is sending to our teachers throughout the state of Mississippi.”
Although the Senate Education Committee did not take up a teacher pay bill during their scheduled meeting, a second meeting was called late in the day to address the House Bill. Senate Education Committee Chairman Dennis DeBar says the House’s decision was likely made because of ongoing debates over income tax legislation. He introduced an amendment to the House Bill to replace nearly all of the language with the Senate plan, only keeping House language to raise wages for teachers' assistants.
“The bottom line is that teachers are winners here. They deserve what we did this afternoon. They don’t need to be used as pawns in a game of politics,” says Senator DeBar. “We’re here to take care of teachers, to take care of the students, to improve our educational system in Mississippi. It’s the number one issue for the Senate, and we will keep pushing it and pushing it until we get it done.”
Senate lawmakers say the bill has the support to pass their chamber and enter conference, where it will be subject to further debate.
