This afternoon, the Senate amended HB 1395 to include another teacher pay raise, this one a $6,000 total raise spread over three years for certified teachers (a $2,000 increase in each year). Special education teachers who are teaching special education in a public school would get an additional $3,000 spread over those same three years ($9,000 total increase by year three). Additionally, the bill calls for an assistant teacher pay raise of $2,000 (full amount of raise in 2026-2027), as well as a $2,000 raise for community college, college, and university instructors and professors. The bill passed on a unanimous vote. Be sure to thank your senator!
The original language in HB 1395 addressed charter schools’ first right of refusal on public school property being offered for sale or lease, language that is retained in the amended version.
The amended bill also includes a provision prohibiting school districts from reducing the local supplements of assistant teachers, ensuring that they get the full $2,000 increase. During floor debate, Sen. DuPree asked if there were other items of concern in the bill, and Chairman DeBar responded that there were not; except for the property provision that was in the original legislation, it is a stand-alone pay raise bill. We have reviewed the 22-page bill and can confirm that it does not contain any sections of law related to school choice. Chairman DeBar also stated today that adjustments to the PERS statute will be dealt with in separate legislation.
We are thrilled that both the House and Senate have demonstrated such strong support for our hardworking and deserving public school teachers. Both the House and Senate pay raise bills have good features. We are asking our representatives and senators to set politics aside and work together to adopt the best possible pay raise for our teachers.
Please ask your legislators to take a unified stand for our teachers, acting as statesmen and stateswomen to adopt the very best teacher pay raise possible!
Find contact information for legislators
Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann: 601.359.3200
House Speaker Jason White: 601.359.3300
Capitol Switchboard: 601.359.3770
Legislative sessions are difficult, with tensions running high as legislators debate issues about which they are passionate. The stakes are especially high in these final weeks at the Capitol, for Mississippians, for our teachers, and for the children in our public schools. You can help by expressing your gratitude for our legislators’ hard work and by urging them to keep their focus on the teachers and children who rely on them to provide the resources they need to be successful. Hands down, the most important school resource for any child is the teacher in the front of the classroom. It is essential that we keep our best and brightest teachers, and to do that, we must pay them a professional salary that allows them to provide for their families.
Year after year, our amazing public school teachers have made incredible personal sacrifices to deliver for our children and our state. We all have reaped the benefits. Please call your legislators right away and urge that the House and Senate work together to deliver for our teachers. Together, we’ve got this!
