Push back on pay raise for Mississippi teachers

MEMPHIS, TN (WMC) - On Wednesday, February 13, there was a push back on the teacher pay raise by the Mississippi Senate.

The bill would provide a $1,000 raise phased in over two years. That is where the push back comes in.

Democrats planned to offer a larger raise and change the teacher pay scale, but the House left Wednesday without taking up its version of the bill.

This means that the only option for the pay raise is the Senate’s version.

Many people are not satisfied with the Senate’s version.

“We think the one in the Senate is a real slap in the face and we are not happy with that suggestion of that pay raise. We don’t consider that actually a pay raise,” said Joyce Helmick, former educator and now leader of Mississippi Association of Educators.

Education advocates are asking that lawmakers allow them to participate in discussions moving forward. They say they want to see real solutions that will put the issue to rest for good.