The average teacher salary in Mississippi during the 2019-20 academic year was $46,843, according to the Southern Regional Education Board. That lagged behind the average of $55,205 for teachers in the 16 states of the regional organization. The national average was $64,133.
The starting salary for a Mississippi teacher with a bachelor’s degree is $37,000 for the current school year, according to the state Department of Education. Teachers with advanced degrees and more experience are paid more.
The House voted 114-6 Wednesday to pass House Bill 530 with bipartisan support. State Representative Brady Williamson of Oxford was one of the few members to vote against the bill. Williamson notably voted “Yes” for the removal of the state income tax bill, which decreases the grocery tax and cuts the car tag tax by 50% while keeping the local budget whole.
n a press release, Williamson said he owes all the professions in Mississippi an explanation on his two votes.
” … my “No” vote, on the Increase in pay to employees in one State Department resulting in right at a $250 million per year cost to everyone in the entire State,” he said in his press statement. “This will be tied to 1/2 of 1% in crease in Sales Tax and/or slowing or preventing the elimination of income tax which directly impacts the pay of every profession in the State.”
“There are quite a few professions in the State many of which are well below the State average, some of the more widely known are Law Enforcement and First Responders, some making $27,000 per year,” Williamson continued. “There are many underpaid and vacant positions. For example, we only have 50% of the Corrections Officers needed to keep our Prisons safe.”
