Locals weigh in on teacher pay raise
A bill giving higher pay to Mississippi teachers and other school staff passed unanimously in the Mississippi Senate Wednesday. However, not everyone is content.
Senate Bill 2770 lays out a $1,000 raise for Mississippi teachers, teacher’s assistants, librarians and counselors over two years, with a $500 raise for the 2019-2020 school year and a second for the 20202021 school year. Several high profile state Republicans including gubernatorial candidate and Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves have voiced their support for a teacher pay raise this year.
West Point Democrat Sen. Angela Turner-ford said any raise was a good thing, but she would still like to see something more substantial.
“Absolutely, I hope it will be more,” Turner-ford said. “At this point it’s my understanding that the bill that was introduced in the House is dead, and the senate bill is the only one that’s alive that I’m aware of. Hopefully it will continue to get more money for teachers.”
She said the senate bill would go next to the house and return to the senate for a vote after the representatives make their changes.
Turner Ford said she and Sen. David Parker, an Olive Branch Republican, sponsored an amendment to the bill giving the additional pay as a lump sum on the teacher’s