Governor Reeves doesn’t rule out special session to tackle teacher pay raise, expanded education freedom

• The governor did add that there is still time in the session to get those things done, saying that nothing is dead in the Capitol until it is “dead, dead, dead.”

At the end of a press conference Tuesday, Governor Tate Reeves (R) took questions on teacher pay raises, the state Public Employees Retirement System, and the future of the movement to provide parents in Mississippi with greater education freedom. He did not rule out a special session to address at least two of those matters.

On the issue of a teacher pay raise, Reeves said, “I think that’s something that they deserve, and I think it’s something that we will be successful getting that across the finish line sooner rather than later I hope.”

When asked if Reeves would consider holding a special session to get a teacher pay raise this year, he said he has not traditionally used special session powers “very often.”

“But I’ll also tell you this, I’m in year seven. I don’t have much time left and so on items that are incredibly important to me like rewarding our teachers, like getting more options for our kids, those are the kind of things that I am very, very interested in the Legislature getting across the finish line,” Reeves said.

The governor did add that there is still time in the session to get those things done, saying that nothing is dead in the Capitol until it is “dead, dead, dead.”

“But yeah, I would say that those are two issues that should be tied together,” Reeves said, alluding to teacher pay raises and expanded school choice. “We should give teachers a pay raise, and we should also give parents and kids more options to give every child in our state an opportunity for success.”

Reeves also touched on efforts in the Legislature to shore up the state retirement system while making recruitment to first responder roles more enticing. The governor said changes were needed in PERS to fix what was done by the Legislature back in 1999, when benefits were significantly enhanced without adding a proper funding source to properly secure the future of the system. Those, and other issues, Reeves said, are why PERS currently has a projected $26 billion shortfall.

He said the changes made by the Legislature last year to PERS are showing improvements.

Reeves also believes four or more actions may be needed to offset the overall shortfall, such as a dedicated state contribution and looking at additional revenue streams, perhaps with the state lottery and/or mobile sports betting. 

“I personally think that future employees should have the option of having a 100% defined contribution plan. That’s what virtually everybody in the private sector has right now,” Reeves said. “The changes they made last year, they went to a hybrid program. It was a step in the right direction.”

The governor added that there is also a need for continued discussions with first responders to address their concerns with PERS under the new Tier 5.