Rebekah Staples debunking the myth that Mississippi teachers have not been getting pay increases

Legislative session policies sometimes predictable, sometimes not

Education issues have already bubbled up, with some calling for across-the-board teacher pay raises. One article I saw said teachers haven’t gotten raises in seven years, but that’s not true (unless someone isn’t following the law…and then we’ve got another problem). Mississippi law (§37-19-7) requires teaches to get a bump in pay every year, and you get more based on tenure and education level.

According to the Miss. Dept. of Education, the base salary for an entry-level teacher (that is, with a bachelor’s degree and no full-time teaching experience) is $30,900. Compare that amount to the average entry-level salary for all occupations in Mississippi – $17,730, according to the Miss. Dept. of Employment Security. In addition to base pay, public school teachers get state health insurance and a pretty sweet state retirement.

I’ve heard rumblings from others about pay raises for regular state employees coupled with refrains that “state employees haven’t gotten raises in five, six, seven years.” I guess these folks have turned a blind eye to the fact the Legislature and individual state agencies authorize pay raises for employees every single year. For example, about $12 million worth of pay raises were given this year, and nearly double that, or $23 million, were given last fiscal year.

(By the way: I am not against pay raises. I am simply for a full presentation of facts.)

Capitol Chronicles
12/24/13