Mississippi public school teachers can breathe a collective sigh of relief, at least for a little while longer: a bill to provide a much-needed raise has survived a key legislative deadline.
On March 1, the Senate Education and Appropriations Committees passed an amended HB 530, which now includes the Senate’s proposed salary schedule as well as a $2,000 raise (over two years) for teacher assistants. The full Senate then passed HB 530 on March 2. On March 3, rather than concur with the amended bill, the House voted to invite conference—a process in which both the House and the Senate have to name three conferees who will be tasked with working out differences and negotiating a compromise bill.
The conference committee has until March 28 to file a conference report, which the chambers can either adopt or reject. If one chamber rejects the report, they can try to recommit the bill to conference (a motion to try again) and gain a little more time to work out a deal. The very last possible day for a conference report to be filed is March 31. HB 530 is now the only teacher pay bill that remains alive in the legislature. The House Education and Appropriations Committees declined to bring the Senate’s bill, SB 2444, up for a vote by the March 1 deadline, causing this bill to die in committee. Two other bills, HB 43 and SB 2443, which could have been used to pass a teacher pay raise (because they contain the relevant code sections) also died in committee.
What is in HB 530 as of March 3?
The Senate Education Committee used what is called a “strike-all” amendment to remove the original language of HB 530, which contained the House proposal, and insert the Senate proposal in its place. The Senate proposal calls for a two-year phase-in of a new salary schedule, with an initial adjustment (and partial raise) in 2022-2023, followed by an across-the-board raise of $1,000 in 2023-2024.
In addition to providing a raise, the salary schedule proposed by the Senate would restructure how and when teachers receive step raises (raises that teachers receive with additional years of experience). The Senate proposal calls for teachers to begin receiving $500 step raises in their second year of teaching (under the current salary schedule teachers must wait until their fourth year), followed by increased step raises of at least $1,325 every five years. While $500 yearly step raises would represent a decrease for teachers with advanced degrees (Class AA, Class AAA, and Class AAAA licenses), these teachers would receive higher five-year step raises than their Class A (bachelor’s degree) counterparts.
Under the Senate-amended bill, Mississippi public school teachers would receive an average raise of about $4,785 by the 2023-2024 school year (not including yearly step raises), though–as an average–this does not mean every teacher will receive a raise of this size. For Class A teachers, the Senate proposal favors those with more experience. For example, the starting salary would increase by $3,000 (from $37,000 to $40,000), while the salary for a teacher with 20 years of experience would increase by $7,500 (from $45,800 to $53,300).
Salary increases under the Senate-amended bill would be more variable for teachers with advanced degrees. For teachers with Class AAA (specialist-level) and Class AAAA (doctoral-level) licenses, early-career teachers would tend to receive higher raises than those with more years of experience. Across all levels of experience, Class AA (master’s-level) teachers would generally receive lower raises than Class A, Class AAA, and Class AAAA teachers. The average raise for each license would be as follows:
- Class A: $5,082
- Class AA: $4,324
- Class AAA: $5,359
- Class AAAA: $5,730
As the bill now stands, the average starting salary (regardless of licensure level) would be $40,262. This would move Mississippi above the regional average ($39,754), though we would remain under the national average ($41,163). The overall average salary in Mississippi would increase to just above $50,000, which would still be substantially below the regional average ($55,205) and national average ($64,133).
You can read an additional analysis comparing the Senate and House proposals here.
In addition to the teacher salary scale changes, the bill also includes two more key provisions. First, as we state above, it provides a $2,000 raise–spread over two years–to assistant teachers. It also includes language to delete caps on the number of nurses and speech pathologists who can receive National Board Certification supplements and adds athletic trainers to the list of professionals allowed to participate in the National Board supplement program. This language is not retroactive to 2021.
What happens next?
Now that the House has voted to invite conference on HB 530, both sides have to name three conferees who would be tasked with working out differences and negotiating a compromise bill. The conference committee has until March 28 to file a conference report, which the chambers can either adopt or reject. If one chamber rejects the report, they can try to recommit the bill to conference (a motion to try again) and gain a little more time to work out a deal. The very last possible day for a conference report to be filed is March 31.
A conference committee is always challenging as both sides must name conferees in time for the group to meet and negotiate, and then at least two conferees from each side must sign the report so that it can be filed. Speaker Gunn or Lt. Governor Hoseman could decline to name conferees, or the bill could get stuck in negotiations. With ongoing disagreements on policy between the House and the Senate as well as the pressure of politics, a conference on this bill is risky, but remains the only path forward—unless Governor Tate Reeves is willing to call a special session.
What do the House and Senate agree on?
The Senate-amended version of HB 530 shows some points of agreement. First, the two chambers agree that both teachers and assistants should receive raises. They also agree that teachers should receive at least a $3,000 raise and that assistants should receive at least a $2,000 raise. Finally, the current version of the bill shows that both sides want to expand eligibility for the National Board supplement program.
What are the likely sticking points?
Here are the likely points of contention for conferees from each chamber:
- Raise Timeline: The Senate proposal calls for a two-year phase-in of the new salary schedule for both teachers and assistants, meaning the full raises will not go into effect until the 2023-2024 school year. The House proposal would implement the full raises for both groups immediately (the 2022-2023 school year). The House has been adamant that it wants an immediate raise, and this point alone is why the House is not likely to concur.
- Step Raises: The House proposal retains the general structure of the current salary schedule, with teachers receiving (mostly) linear yearly step raises (with the step raise amount based on their licensure level) once they reach three years of experience. The Senate calls for yearly $500 step raises (regardless of licensure level) beginning in a teacher’s second year, along with increased step raises every five years (with the amount based on their licensure level).
- Starting Salary: One of the most distinctive features of the House proposal is a substantial pay raise for beginner teachers, with a starting salary increase of $6,000 for Class A teachers. Under the House proposal, Mississippi would surpass both the regional and national averages for starting salary. The Senate proposal, meanwhile, provides more generous raises to later-career teachers.
- National Board Timeline: The House wanted to provide retroactive supplements (meaning beginning the supplement with the 2021-2022 school year) to the people who would be newly eligible for the National Board supplement program as of bill passage. The Senate amendment would implement the supplements for 2022-2023.
We will be watching this situation closely, and it is likely to evolve over the next several days. Please watch our blog and social media for the most up-to-date information.