Mississippi First

04/28/2026

Don't forget to join today's webinar. Register for NSBA's Policy Hour at https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_yd0mi9odSIaPspBIuS0YOA #/registration

𝗨𝗽𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲: 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗚𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗔𝗱𝗱𝗲𝗱! 🍎We are excited to share that 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝘄𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗹 𝗠. 𝗕𝗿𝗼𝘄𝗻 (𝗢𝗛-𝟭𝟭) will be joining our next NSBA Policy Hour to discuss the urgent need to expand, strengthen, and retain our educator workforce.

Are our schools facing a teacher shortage? The answer isn't simple, and the solution requires action at every level. From burnout and compensation challenges to the need for better preparation pathways, the hurdles facing our educators are complex. How can federal, state, and local leaders work together to recruit and retain the teachers our students need?

📅 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻: 𝗧𝘂𝗲𝘀𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝗔𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗹 𝟮𝟴, 𝗮𝘁 𝟮 𝗣𝗠 𝗘𝗧.

Your perspective as a stakeholder in education is vital. Join us and Congresswoman Brown as we unpack these challenges and discuss actionable strategies for the future of our workforce.

Sign up here to save your spot: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_yd0mi9odSIaPspBIuS0YOA #/registration

04/27/2026

Your perspective as a stakeholder in education is vital. Join Mississippi First Executive Director Angela Bass, Congresswoman Shontel M. Brown (OH) and other education experts on The National School Boards Association's Policy Hour, tomorrow, April 28 at 2:00 p.m. EST. The panel will unpack challenges facing teachers today and discuss actionable strategies for the future of our workforce.

Register for the webinar here: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_yd0mi9odSIaPspBIuS0YOA #/registration

04/24/2026

Are our schools facing a teacher shortage? From burnout and compensation challenges to the need for better preparation pathways, the hurdles facing our educators are complex.

On Tuesday, April 28 at 2:00 p.m., Mississippi First Executive Director Angela Bass joins The National School Boards Association's Policy Hour webinar series to examine how federal, state, and local policy levers can be aligned to expand, strengthen, and retain a diverse, high-quality educator workforce.

Register for the webinar here: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_yd0mi9odSIaPspBIuS0YOA #/registration

04/17/2026

We are hiring!

Mississippi First is looking for a Director of Communications to lead both the strategy and ex*****on of our external voice, shaping how we engage policymakers, partners, and communities across the state.

This role is an opportunity to drive meaningful impact at the intersection of education policy, storytelling, and advocacy, helping ensure that every Mississippi child has access to a high-quality public education.

If you or someone in your network are passionate about using communications as a tool for change, we’d love to hear from you.

Learn more and apply at the link below.

Are you… looking to make a profound difference in a supportive, fast– paced, and intellectually stimulating work environment? trained in policy analysis? passionate about public education? If you answered yes to these questions, then Mississippi First might be the right next career move for you!...

04/17/2026

Curious about what we’ve been working on? Check out our latest quarterly newsletter for key updates across the organization. And if you haven’t already, be sure to subscribe so it lands in your inbox each quarter.

We reflect on the work of continuing to drive meaningful change for students, teachers, and communities across the state.

04/08/2026

“Mississippi First’s most consistent finding from our signature State of Pre-K report series is that our state data systems are in desperate need of modernization. Data allows us to track access, monitor investments, and evaluate program effectiveness. Data is at the heart of good policy,” said Micayla Tatum. “We must modernize our data systems in order to continue moving the needle on access to high-quality pre-K.”

Check out our State of Pre- K Dashboard here:

Overall, the Mississippi pre-K access rate for four-year-olds across provider types was 77.84% in 2023-2024 compared to 67.29% in 2017-2018. These rates represent the total percentage of four-year-old children served statewide when combining enrollments across provider types (public school districts...

04/03/2026

Though sine die, the formal end of the legislative session, was originally scheduled for Sunday, April 5, the session has been extended on paper through April 15. That said, while legislators could be called back to address last-minute business, this week marked the final full week of legislative activity for the 2026 session. Read this week’s legislative updates here:

Though sine die, the formal end of the legislative session, was originally scheduled for Sunday, April 5, the session has been extended on paper through April 15. That said, while legislators could be called back to address last-minute business, this week marked the final full week of legislative ac...

04/01/2026

Teacher Pay Raise Update: Today (Wednesday, April 1), the House adopted a conference report for SB 2103. We anticipate adoption by the Senate soon.

The bill includes:
• A $2,000 pay raise for teachers;
• A $2,000 pay raise for assistant teachers; and
• A $2,000 salary supplement for licensed special education teachers, National Board-certified occupational therapists working in schools, and licensed school psychologists.

In the comments, we’ve included a link with a full, section-by-section summary of the legislation for those who want a closer look at the details.

We are disappointed that this legislation does not go further to meaningfully increase teacher pay. At Mississippi First, our policy team is made up entirely of former public school educators. We know firsthand the realities of this work: the long hours, the out-of-pocket costs, and the emotional toll it can take. Through both our statewide survey data and countless conversations, we have heard clearly from educators that the current trajectory of the profession is not sustainable.

Throughout this legislative session, we have consistently advocated for a 12.8% increase across the teacher salary schedule - a raise that would have started at approximately $5,500 for first-year teachers and scaled upward. While still not fully reflective of the value of the profession, this proposal would have restored teachers’ salaries to their 2022 purchasing power.

Although this level of investment was not achieved this year, we are more motivated than ever to continue advocating for policies that better support and sustain Mississippi’s educators.

04/01/2026

When Mississippi First began tracking pre-K access for four-year-olds in 2011, there were 46,455 live births in their 2007 birth cohort. In 2022, the number of live births declined to 34,678.

If the number of children to serve continues to diminish statewide, the state will need to find new ways to continue to provide a quality education, both for early childhood and K-12 since enrollment is often tied to revenue.

Check out our State of Pre-K Dashboard here:

Overall, the Mississippi pre-K access rate for four-year-olds across provider types was 77.84% in 2023-2024 compared to 67.29% in 2017-2018. These rates represent the total percentage of four-year-old children served statewide when combining enrollments across provider types (public school districts...

03/31/2026

Teacher Pay Raise Update: Last night (Monday, March 30), House and Senate conferees filed a conference report for SB 2103. The legislation includes a $2,000 pay increase across the teacher salary schedule, an additional $2,000 salary supplement for licensed special education teachers, and a $2,000 pay increase for assistant teachers. It also provides a $2,000 salary supplement for National Board-certified occupational therapists and certified school psychologists.

The bill contains several provisions related to other topics, including school attendance.

As of Tuesday, March 31, at 11:50am, the House has recommitted the conference report for further work.

03/30/2026

Teacher Pay Raise and Budget Update: On Friday, March 27th, conference reports for the Department of Education (HB 1935) and the Department of Human Services (HB 1909) appropriations bills were filed. Over the weekend, the legislature took actions with significant implications for a number of our advocacy efforts at Mississippi First.

Of note, the House and the Senate both adopted the conference report for HB 1909 (the budget for the Department of Human Services), which does not include the $15M state investment in the Child Care Payment Program that was included last year. The bill will now be enrolled and sent to the Governor.

In the case of the Department of Education budget, the Senate and the House have adopted the conference report for HB 1935. According to the report, the bill will level-fund the Early Learning Collaboratives (ELCs) at $29M and $3.25M for ELC coaches. The state-invested pre-K program (SIP) will also be level-funded at $13M.

In the last few weeks of the session, there were two bills (SB 2103 and HB 1395) that would have provided a teacher pay raise. As we posted on Friday, HB 1395, which once included language to provide a $6,000 pay raise for teachers phased in over three years, was amended in conference. The bill no longer includes teacher pay language. It now clarifies the right of first refusal rights for charter schools to purchase buildings previously owned by school districts. The conference report was adopted by the Senate and is awaiting adoption by the House.

The conference report for SB 2103, which included a $5,000 teacher pay raise before entering conference, has not yet been filed. Reports from Mississippi Today and the Magnolia Tribune indicate that the final bill will include a $2,000 pay raise for teachers, an additional $2,000 salary supplement for special education teachers, and a $2,000 raise for assistant teachers. Funding for these raises is included in the MDE appropriations bill.

03/27/2026

With next week marking the final full week of the 2026 Regular Session, negotiations over key issues, including teacher pay and department budgets, are intensifying. Read this week's legislative updates here:

With next week marking the final full week of the legislative session, negotiations over key issues, including teacher pay and department budgets, are intensifying. Below is a summary of this week’s legislative activity, along with a list of legislators appointed to conference committees on select...