HB 530 is now a reality!
This historic teacher pay raise will go into effect starting the 2022-2023 school year and is a step forward in improving Mississippi’s educator pipeline crisis.
We have been receiving many questions about the details of the new law. To see our frequently asked questions, click here. If you have any questions, please email Toren Ballard at toren@mississippifirst.org.
What’s in the final bill?
The final bill has several components:
- An increase to the starting salary and increases for EVERY year of experience
- Yearly step raises beginning in a teacher’s second year
- An increased step raise every five years
- An immediate phase-in of pay raises beginning on July 1, 2022 (meaning teachers will not wait two years for the full raise)
- A $2,000 raise for teacher assistants
UPDATED AS OF 10:19 AM on MARCH 31, 2022:
This is what the salary schedule would look like for each licensure level:
Based on these numbers, teachers will receive an average raise of approximately $5,151 and about 96% of teachers will receive a raise of at least $4,000. The average starting salary will increase to $41,650—surpassing the 2019-2020 regional ($39,754) and national ($41,163) average starting salaries. (We do not currently have figures for the 2021-2022 average starting salary, so it is unclear if the new average will surpass that.) The overall average salary for Mississippi teachers will be somewhere in the $51,000-$52,000 range, which is higher than the current overall average but lower than the regional average of $55,205. The new salary schedule, including raises for teacher assistants, would cost an additional $246 million a year.
Read our detailed analysis of HB 530 to learn more about how the bill progressed throughout the 2022 legislative session.
So, if you have a higher degree and teach in MS, you will not get as much. What a way to really encourage your educators to pursue higher degrees, MS!!!
Hi, JJR.
Please see the salary scale. More advanced degrees do earn more.
I think what JJR meant was that the percentage of the increase was not as much for those of us with more advanced degrees. For example, for my Class AAA license with 17 years, I will receive a $4,251 initial pay raise, while a Class A teacher with 17 years will receive $6,385.
I am so grateful for the raise and the hard work everyone has done to get us to this historical point, but I’m afraid JJR is correct. Teachers with advanced degrees make more than Class A because they put in the work (and money) to earn their advanced degrees, not because they were given a raise. So, it would seem these teachers should at least get the same raise as a Class A teacher with the same experience.
Yes, if you are talking about the size of the raise in 2022, you are correct: teachers with more advanced degrees/more years of experience will receive a smaller 2022 raise. They will still have larger overall salaries and will receive a bigger step increase every five years. Over time, this means the gap between different license levels gets larger. Only the legislature can explain why they made this choice and not a different choice.
Praise the Lord !!
Does the chart that is posted match the bill signed by Governor Reeves? It looks like different number totals.
We’re sorry for the confusion. We have updated the scale (the original in the blog was from the original bill) as of 10:19 AM. Thank you for alerting us to the discrepancy.
Thank you so much for giving us this raise!!!
I did not see anything about the teachers with 25 years of experience getting an extra 2500. Will that amount also go towards teachers like myself who already have 30 years in?
Yes, any teacher beyond 25 years of experience will receive that bump.
I am so happy for the passing and signing into law our Teacher pay raises. As a Teacher Assistant it is appreciated that you didn’t forget us. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!
I am so happy for the passing and signing of our Teacher pay raises. As a Teacher Assistant it is appreciated that you didn’t forget us. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!
This is such a blessing for Mississippi teachers! Thank you for all you do at Mississippi First.
This is the right step for MS teachers and students. We will ALL benefit from this historical pay raise. Thank you everyone!
About time…..Thank God!!!
Blessings Teacher Family!!
This is not the same table that was put out by MPE on 3/22/2022. This pay scale doesn’t give everyone at least $4,000. Look at 20 years for AA. It only gives a $2,840 raise and a an A license for 20 years receives $6,200. I think they need to make sure this is the correct chart.
Hi, Carla.
The pay raise in the one-pager was correct but the blog post still showed a scale from the original version of HB530. It was updated shortly after our email went out. If you look at the blog post now, you should see that it reflects the final scale.
I was trying to make some sense out of the chart, also. Correct me if I am wrong, but it looks to me that the more years and degrees a teacher have, the smaller the raise. Explain this to me, please.
Kim
This is the correct pay scale and matches the one that MPE put out. Not every teacher is going to get the same size raise. According to the pay scale the legislature passed, the raises vary by the license class as well as years of experience. The higher the license (more advanced degree) and the more years of experience a teacher has, the size of the raise declines (generally, but not always). These teachers will still have higher salaries than other teachers, but their raise is not as large. Only 96% of teachers will receive a raise of at least $4K.
Will teachers who have already completed previous 5 year increments get “back pay” on those step increments or only for future step increments?
Ex 1: Teacher has 10 years experience after the 21-22 school year. The raise is effective July 1, 2022. Teacher gets paid for the 10th year step and the previous 5 year step
Ex 2: Teacher has 10 years experience after the 21-22 school year. The raise is effective July 1, 2022. Teacher gets paid for the 10th year step but will not for the previous 5 year step increment because the raise went into effect after their 10th year and is not retroactive
Teachers will not get retroactive raises under this bill. Since the raise is effective July 1, 2022, teachers will be paid the minimum salary for their license and years of experience as of that date. If a teacher is at Year 10 as of July 1 and has a Class A license, they will make $47,100 (plus any local supplement).
God is Good!
This still doesn’t seem correct. Teachers with advanced degrees aren’t getting as much as others. Maybe I am looking at it wrong. I am appreciative of any and all raises. Thank the Lord.
You are correct. Not every teacher is going to get the same size raise. According to the pay scale the legislature passed, the raises vary by the license class as well as years of experience. The higher the license (more advanced degree) and the more years of experience a teacher has, the size of the raise declines (generally, but not always). These teachers will still have higher salaries than other teachers, but their raise is not as large.
Thank you so much! I took a 6K pay cut when I returned home to Mississippi a few years ago. The choice to move back home was a difficult decision to make, especially not knowing how the decrease in pay would affect my family’s life style. This pay raise helps me feel better about my decision, and more valued as an educator.