10/31/25 Legislative Update: Senate Education Meets

The Senate Education Committee continued its preparations for the upcoming 2026 Legislative Session by meeting with a number of organizations this past Tuesday, October 28. The Mississippi Charter School Authorizer Board started the day’s discussions by requesting expanded opportunities for charter schools. Noting that all but one of the state’s seven charter schools that received accountability grades for the 2024-25 school year were rated D or F, Senate Education Chairman Dennis DeBar asked why the legislature should expand charters given this poor performance. He emphasized that the Charter School Authorizer Board should shut low-performing charter schools down. Chairman DeBar also expressed concern that not only has the Board approved a virtual charter school, but the virtual school will be in an area where broadband can be challenging.

Megan Boren of the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) discussed several educator workforce issues, including teacher recruitment and retention. The average starting salary for a teacher in the 16-state SREB region is $45,769, which is very close to the national average of $46,526, but Mississippi’s average starting salary is $42,492.  While SREB’s $61,847 average teacher salary for all teachers is about $10,000 below the national average of $72,030, Mississippi’s $53,704 average teacher salary is $8,143 lower than the SREB regional average and $18,326 lower than the national average. 

After hearing from several other organizations, the committee concluded its day with a discussion with the following superintendents from throughout our state:

• Bradley Roberson, Oxford School District
• Dr. Errick Greene, Jackson Public School District
• Alan Lumpkin, Scott County School District
• Charles Breland, Greene County School District

In addition to sharing innovative programs their respective districts are offering to support and engage students, these superintendents also shared challenges faced by their districts, including the teacher shortage and the need for a pay raise for teachers and assistant teachers, as well as the impact of rising health insurance premiums and the new Tier 5 for PERS. The superintendents repeatedly credited the incredible work of classroom teachers, rather than a “miracle,” for our state’s educational gains. They also discussed supporting students’ mental health, the risks of school choice, chronic absenteeism, the growing number of EL students, and school safety.

All four superintendents urged committee members to be wary of school choice. Mr. Roberson reminded senators that the director of the Midsouth Association of Independent Schools made it very clear last week in his testimony to the House Select Committee on Education Freedom that private schools want to maintain their autonomy and do not want to play by the same rules as public schools. Committee members thanked the superintendents for their honest and frank discussion.

You may watch the superintendents’ conversation with the committee by clicking here and going to the 5:10:00 mark.