Sun Herald editorial shills up for education lobby

Editorial: Republican pay package fails teachers

Rep. Bobby Moak, D-Bogue Chitto, summed up the GOP proposal this way: “Finding more ways to play hide-and-seek with pay increases is the wrong way to treat teachers our children are entrusted to each school day.”

Granted, some of the benchmarks are commendable and would, dare we say, merit additional pay for the teachers who obtain them. But this is not a merit pay proposal, at least not one we recognize.

Even Gov. Phil Bryant, who favors teachers earning more pay by merit, was quoted in The Clarion-Ledger as saying he is “encouraged that this measure includes a few measurable benchmarks.”

A “few” is a long way from 22.

We support bringing the salaries of public school teachers in Mississippi up to the level of surrounding states.

And we prefer that additional pay increases for teacher be based on merit. But it ought to be real, measurable merit.

Sun Herald Editorial
2/4/14