Our heroes in the Mississippi Legislature came through again for our children! Voucher bill SB 2675 died on today’s deadline. Citing his own objections to the bill and lack of voucher support by his House colleagues, House Education Chairman Richard Bennett declined to take it up. Please join us in thanking Chairman Bennett and the many legislators who stood up for our public schools by saying no to vouchers!
But their work – and our work – is not done. Now we need their help to get a meaningful pay raise for our teachers and teacher assistants. Currently, the pay raise bill calls for a paltry $500 increase for the next two years, which amounts to about $30 per month after taxes.
A meaningful pay raise is needed to do three things:
1. Acknowledge the important work and dedication of Mississippi’s teachers
2. Address the teacher shortage by making salaries more competitive with those of other professions
3. Stem Mississippi’s “brain drain” by bringing our teacher salaries more in line with those in neighboring states
The average of teacher salaries in Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Tennessee exceeds Mississippi’s average teacher salary by more than $6,000.
Please ask your legislators to support a MEANINGFUL teacher/teacher assistant pay raise.
Find contact information here or call Capitol switchboard: 601.359.3770.
Share the same message with
Speaker Philip Gunn Capitol: 601.359.3300
Lt. Governor Tate Reeves Capitol: 601.359.3200
It is time for our legislators to do their part to ensure a highly qualified teacher in every single Mississippi classroom by making teacher pay competitive.
THANK YOU to all those who contacted your legislators about the voucher bills. Your calls made a difference!
Can we count on your help again to get a meaningful pay raise for our children’s teachers? Please call all of the legislators who represent your school district. Ask your friends and family to call, too. Be sure to forward our emails, share our Facebook posts, and retweet us on Twitter. Together, we’ve got this!
