The 2026 Legislative Session convened at noon today, and the Senate Education Committee met shortly thereafter. They took up three bills, all of which passed on voice votes. There were no recorded votes.
- SB 2001 – Teacher pay raise. This was the first bill filed in the Senate, and it provides for an across-the-board pay raise for K-12 teachers and assistant teachers, and expresses legislative intent for a $2,000 raise for faculty at community colleges and IHL. While the bill currently provides for only a $2,000 raise, Chairman DeBar expressed hope that the final bill will deliver a raise closer to $5,000 for K-12 teachers, reminding the committee that the 2022 pay raise began at a much lower level than where it ended. VOTE YES ON SB 2001.
- SB 2002 – Public school choice. This bill removes the provision in current law requiring that both the home school district and the transferee school district approve a student’s transfer to a school district in which he or she does not reside. Chairman Hopson offered amendments stating that districts may charge tuition to out-of-district students in lieu of ad valorem taxes; that any student who does not have a good cause exemption must notify the home district of the intent to transfer no later than March 15 of the preceding school year; and that nothing shall preclude MHSAA or another activities-governing authority from determining athletic eligibility of transferring students. All amendments were adopted. VOTE NO ON SB 2002.
- SB 2003 – Retired educator law amendments. This bill amends the section of current law allowing retired teachers to return to the classroom full-time and draw a salary while continuing to receive PERS benefits. The bill expands the law to include any Mississippi PERS retiree who obtains a standard teaching license (via alternate route or otherwise); increases the pay to 65% of 125% of the salary schedule; reduces the required break in days of service from 90 to 45; eliminates the break in service for those who are 59.5 years of age or older; and removes the critical shortage requirement, making any district and any subject area eligible. VOTE YES ON SB 2003.
Ask your senator to:
VOTE NO on SB 2002
VOTE YES on SB 2001 (teacher pay raise) VOTE YES on SB 2003 (retired teachers bill)
Find contact information for senators who represent your school district
Lt. Gov. Hosemann: 601.359.3200
Capitol Switchboard: 601.359.3770
The beauty of public schools is that there are rules in place designed to ensure that every student is treated the same. SB 2002 would allow public schools to pick and choose out-of-district students just like private schools pick and choose their students, using the very same tools to keep out students they see as less desirable: denying admission, charging tuition, and declining to provide transportation. It risks creating a system of haves and have-nots, exactly what our public education system is intended to avoid.
Multiple municipal and school boards have weighed in, passing resolutions opposing public and private school choice and urging their own legislative delegations, the Mississippi Legislature, and Governor Reeves to oppose any school choice – including public to public, and to instead invest in strengthening ALL public schools.
An important place to start is with facilities. The state provides no funding at all for school facilities, requiring instead that local taxpayers fund the construction, renovation, or repair of school buildings, which results in tremendous disparities in the quality of facilities from one school district to the next. Students who live in communities with a low ad valorem (local) tax base lose precious learning time due to heat and air units that don’t work, leaky roofs, and bathrooms that consistently are out of order – all issues that research cites as contributing to lower academic achievement. The state should ensure that every single Mississippi child has a quality school facility in which to learn.
There are many other things our Legislature should do to strengthen public schools for ALL children. See that list here.
At The Parents’ Campaign, our positions are based on the answer to one simple question: Will this help or harm more children? With “school choice,” it isn’t even close: far, far more children would be harmed by allowing publicly funded schools to pick and choose the students they want to serve.
Please call your senator today and urge a NO vote on SB 2002. Ask others you know to call, as well. Together, we’ve got this!
