2026 Legislative Session Convenes

The 2026 Regular Session of the Mississippi Legislature convened Tuesday, January 6, at 12:00 noon. While it is highly unusual for committees to meet on the first day of the session, two Senate committees met Tuesday and passed bills that could impact classrooms and educators throughout our state. Senate Education met and passed the following three bills:

• SB 2001 provides a $2,000 across-the-board pay raise for teachers in the 2026-27 school year. It also increases the minimum annual salary for assistant teachers in 2026-27 from $17,000 to $19,000. SB 2001 also expresses the legislature’s intent that community college and university professors receive a $2,000 pay raise. Senate Education Chairman Dennis DeBar shared during this afternoon’s meeting that $2,000 is the base amount of a pay raise, he would like to see it closer to $5,000 as MPE and other education groups have proposed, and he is hopeful that the amount will increase as the session proceeds. SB 2001 passed unanimously on a voice vote and now heads to the full Senate for consideration. After passing the full Senate, it will then head to the House for consideration. This pay raise package as passed Senate Education today totals $131.8 million.
• SB 2002 is the Senate’s school choice bill. It amends current law to allow a student to transfer to another public school district with approval only from the receiving school district, rather than both the releasing and receiving districts as required by current law. The bill is limited to public-to-public transfers. Chairman DeBar made it very clear during the meeting that the Senate does not support nor will it consider public to private transfers or vouchers. The bill was amended in committee to allow receiving districts to charge reasonable fees/tuition to out-of-district students in lieu of ad valorem taxes, to require students to notify districts by March 15 if they plan to transfer the following year, and to provide that the Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) retain athletic eligibility determination for transfer students. The bill passed Senate Education on a split voice vote and now heads to the full Senate for consideration. After passing the Senate, it will then be considered by the House. 
• SB 2003 revises current provisions of state law governing retired teachers returning to the classroom as a means of addressing the nearly 4,000 teacher vacancies throughout the state. Among other revisions, SB 2003 reduces the required separation period from 90 days to 45 days; removes the requirement that a returning teacher may only teach in a critical shortage geographic or subject area; allows districts to use local funds to pay all or a portion of a returning teacher’s health insurance premiums; allows a district to pay no more than 65%, rather than the current 50%, of the teacher’s compensation as salary; and, allows any PERS retiree, not just retired teachers, to teach while drawing retirement benefits as long as they obtain the appropriate license for doing so. The bill now heads to the full Senate for consideration. After passing the Senate, it will then be considered by the House. 

Senate Appropriations passed SB 2004, the Mississippi PERS Stability Act, during its meeting Tuesday afternoon. The legislation provides a $500 million infusion into PERS on July 1, 2026, and then $50 million annually for the next 10 years. The bill passed Senate Appropriations unanimously on a voice vote and now heads to the full Senate for consideration. After passing the Senate, it will then be considered by the House. 

Legislators have until Wednesday, January 14, to request general bills to be drafted. Tuesday, February 3, is the first critical deadline, as committees must pass general bills originating in their chamber by that day.