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Jackson, Miss.—Senators on the conference committee negotiating teacher pay raises offered the House a $246 million proposal today. The Senate plan would raise base teacher salaries by an average of $5,140. Teacher assistant salaries would see an increase of $2,000.
“For the second year in a row, the Senate saved the teacher pay raise bill by prioritizing people above politics,” Lt. Governor Delbert Hosemann said. “Senate Education Chairman Dennis DeBar developed this plan with the input of countless teachers with whom he met during the fall. We appreciate Representatives McCarty, Felsher, and Owen meeting with Senators DeBar, Bryan, and Hopson to finalize the bill and move it to the Governor’s desk.”
Under the Senate plan, a Class A teacher with a baccalaureate degree would start at $41,500. Teachers would receive annual step increases of between $400 and $600 at most every year, including in the first three years of teaching. Step increases are not currently provided in the base salary schedule in statute until the third year of teaching, though many leave the profession before Year 5.
At pivotal five-year marks in a teacher’s career up to Year 20 teachers would receive a larger increase between $1,200 and $1,350 based on their certification. At Year 25, they would receive a $2,500 increase.
The base salary schedule does not include any local supplements or state supplements, like extra compensation to locate in certain critical needs areas or become a National Board Certified Teacher.
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