Mississippi Legislature OKs $2K Teacher Raises in $7.4B Budget Deal

JACKSON, Miss. — Mississippi's Legislature clinched a hard-fought education funding package late March 29, 2026, approving a $2,000 annual salary supplement for K-12 teachers, assistants and special education staff as part of House Bill 1935's conference report. The measure, adopted unanimously by the Senate and narrowly by the House, allocates roughly $3.4 billion total for P-12 education in Fiscal Year 2027, including a base student cost of $7,201.77. Senate Appropriations Chairman Briggs Hopson noted broad conferee agreement, though the raise scaled back from the House's $5,000 pitch and Senate's phased $6,000 plan due to competing demands like a $1.17 billion Medicaid boost.

The package targets rural strongholds like the Delta and Piney Woods, funding 106 school attendance officer positions—one per 4,000 compulsory-school-age children—and $5,000 raises for those officers. It injects $9 million into the Adolescent Literacy Initiative, extending proven elementary reading supports to grades 4-8, and $3.48 million for the Mississippi Math Act, despite concerns from The Parents' Campaign that literacy mandates could strain district budgets in cash-strapped areas like Holmes and Leflore counties. Career-technical educators, occupational therapists and school psychologists also receive $2,000 supplements, with most programs level-funded from FY 2026.

Lawmakers sidestepped deeper PERS reforms for Tier 5 employees, opting only to cut retirement service years from 35 to 30 and base benefits on the top four salary years. The overall $7.4 billion state budget edges up from last year's $7.3 billion, drawing from $1.5 billion cash reserves and a $700 million rainy day fund, as federal COVID relief fades. Mississippi Professional Educators called the raises 'disappointing' but a step forward for retention in rural districts losing talent to Louisiana and Alabama.