The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal Editorial, 2/4/8
Legislators had their first chance last week to live up to 2007 campaign promises to fully fund the Mississippi Adequate Education Program, and the House of Representatives followed through on the pledge.
The House also added a 3 percent teacher pay raise as well as a funding start on several other components of the Quality Education Act, a multi-pronged initiative designed to improve school performance. It wasn’t without a fight, however, from mostly Republican lawmakers who said they weren’t convinced the state could afford the pay raise and still meet other obligations.
Mississippi has made much progress in teacher pay in recent years, thanks to a multi-year pay package first passed during the administration of Gov. Ronnie Musgrove. But that progress is threatened if the state doesn’t make at least modest adjustments to teacher pay on a continuing basis.
Magnolia Tribune
