Mississippi Teachers won't Receive Pay Raise this Year due to Pandemic

Due to the pandemic, teachers will not see their annual pay raise this year because of budget concerns. 

In early February, the senate passed a bill to provide a $1,000 pay raise to most teachers and teacher’s assistants. Teachers in their first two years would receive $1,100.

With the COVID-19 pandemic sweeping through the country in March, the plan died on Tuesday, resulting in no extra pay for teachers this year. 

One teacher, who may remain nameless has been teaching for nearly 25 years and has never experienced their additional pay not coming through.

“We have a tough job, it really is and during this time period it’s even more stressful and more frustration- the job and uncertainties and I just feel like we’re deserving of our pay raise.”

In addition, another teacher expresses their job is even more tough right now due to them not physically teaching their students.

‘It sounds bad to say that I think it’s wrong. I think teachers, like everyone else, we have the same cost of living. Cost of living goes up, same as everyone else. Our pay scale is so much less than compared to other states to begin with.”

If circumstances were subject to change, lawmakers do not see themselves reviving the pay raise later on to teachers.