MS Senate Education Chairman DeBar hosting teacher listening tour across state

Legislature set to consider additional teacher salary increases, benefit adjustments in 2022 session.

State Senator Dennis Debar, Chairman of the Mississippi Senate Education Committee, is holding a teacher listening tour around the state as he and his committee colleagues are reviewing the current teacher salary schedule.

Senator DeBar has expressed his support for another round of teacher pay raises during the 2022 session, adding to the increases given during the 2021 session that totaled nearly $50 million in new investment into teacher salaries.

Governor Tate Reeves has called for the Legislature to consider additional teacher pay raises, as has Senate President Lt. Governor Delbert Hosemann.

Senator DeBar held his first listening meeting on Tuesday in his State Senate District at Greene County High School.

The listening tour is focused on current pay and benefits for teachers, as well as how the Mississippi Legislature may adjust teacher compensation packages in the future to be competitive.

Future meetings on DeBar’s tour will be held on the following dates:

• Monday, November 1 at 5:30 p.m.: Pascagoula High School Performing Arts Center, 2104 Tucker Ave. in Pascagoula
• Wednesday, November 10 at 5:30 p.m.: Tupelo Public School District-Church Street, 445 N. Church Street in Tupelo
• Thursday, November 18 at 5:30 p.m.: Greenville Higher Education Center, 2900A Highway 1 South in Greenville
• Thursday, December 9 at 5:30 p.m.: Madison Central High School Performing Arts Center, 1417 Highland Colony Parkway in Madison

The Senate Education Committee held a hearing in September on the subject of teacher pay and benefits in preparation for bills to be filed when lawmakers head back to the Capitol in January.