Mississippi governor signs largest teacher raise in years

By EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS
Associated Press

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves has signed a bill to authorize the state’s largest teacher pay raise in a generation. Legislative records show the Republican signed it Wednesday. Starting July 1, teachers will receive an average increase of about $5,100. That’s a jump of more than 10% over their current pay. Teachers’ assistants will receive $2,000 raises. Mississippi has some of the lowest teacher salaries in the nation. Lawmakers and the governor say increasing the pay could help Mississippi attract and retain classroom professionals. Longtime teacher Suzanne Smith of Grenada says the pay raise will make a huge difference for lots of educators.