House passes teacher pay raise bill, Senate committee kills school voucher plan

Photo: Unanimous vote on House Bill 1126, which includes new pay raises for teachers. (Courtesy photo)

Key Points

• Unanimous House Approval: The Mississippi House of Representatives voted 120-0 on Wednesday, Feb. 4, to pass House Bill 1126, an omnibus education and retirement package.
• Sweeping Pay Raises: The legislation includes a historic $5,000 annual salary increase for both certified teachers and assistant teachers across the state.
• Voucher Bill Defeat: While pay raises advanced, the Senate Education Committee killed House Bill 2, a controversial school choice measure, in a move that drew sharp criticism from Gov. Tate Reeves.

JACKSON, Miss. – In a day of high-stakes legislative action, the Mississippi House of Representatives unanimously approved a landmark $5,000 teacher pay raise Wednesday, Feb. 4, just as a top Senate committee moved to kill a primary House priority on school vouchers.

The House voted 120-0 to pass House Bill 1126, a 500-page omnibus bill that pairs the state’s largest-ever single-year teacher salary increase with a sweeping overhaul of the public retirement system. The measure provides a $5,000 across-the-board raise for all certified teachers and, in a late addition, includes an identical $5,000 increase for assistant teachers.

Licensed special education teachers actively teaching in classrooms would receive an additional $3,000 annual supplement, bringing their total possible increase to $8,000.

“Teachers pour into our kids day in and day out, often without recognition,” said state Rep. Rodney Hall (R-Southaven). “I want them to know they’re appreciated, valued, and essential to our future. Mississippi’s educational achievements are because of them, and supporting a pay raise will always be an easy yes for me in DeSoto County.”

The bill now advances to the state Senate.

The unanimous House vote stood in stark contrast to the fate of House Bill 2, the “Mississippi Education Freedom Act.” The Senate Education Committee killed the school voucher bill in a voice vote Tuesday, effectively ending the push to provide families with $7,000 in public funds for private school tuition this session.

Gov. Tate Reeves, a vocal supporter of the voucher plan, blasted the Senate’s move on social media, accusing committee members of “protecting the status quo” and denying parents the right to choose the best educational setting for their children.

I have spent the last 23 years fighting the leftists, their liberal ideology, and the Mississippi Democratic Party’s philosophy that government knows best. They believe the people should NEVER be empowered – only the government should!

I have NO reason to get mad at the Democrats – they openly believe something very different than me. Their approach is wrong and we have proven them wrong over and over with our education results. In fact, our “Mississippi Miracle” only started because Conservatives took over the House and Senate in 2011 and for 8 years we passed laws that adhered to our political philosophy.

That is why—in my 23 years—I’ve never been more disappointed in elected officials than I am this morning in LG Hosemann and Senator Dennis Debar. They killed a Republican legislative priority shared by conservatives all across this country and they worked closely with the Democrats to do it. Even worse—they tried to do it in the dark and hide it from MS conservatives on a deadline day.

The Mississippi Senate Education Committee: Where Conservative priorities go to Die. And where the Democrat philosophy still dominates.

Gov. Tate Reeves on Facebook

HB 1126 also introduces a new “hybrid” tier for the Public Employees’ Retirement System (PERS) for those hired after March 1, 2026, and allows first responders to retire after 25 years of service regardless of age.

The teacher pay raise measure now moves to the Senate for further consideration.