JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - The Latest on teacher pay and the Mississippi budget (all times local):
6:36 p.m.
Mississippi could spend more on a program that subsidizes private school attendance by children with special education needs, despite opposition by some House members.
The House and Senate on Thursday passed a final negotiated version of Senate Bill 3049 that includes $27 million in special projects paid for with surplus money from last year’s state budget.
Among those projects is an additional $2 million for Education Scholarship Accounts.
Supporters had sought more money, citing a large number of people on the waiting list. However, House Education Committee Chairman Richard Bennett has said he opposed more money because a legislative report raised questions about the program’s effectiveness and because it faces a renewal deadline next year.
House Speaker Philip Gunn tells reporters the money is a “Senate priority.”
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3:30 p.m.
Spending driven by state revenue will go up by nearly 4 percent in the budget year beginning July 1, as strong state revenue will bolster not only teacher pay but a number of other items.
Figures presented to the state Senate shows the state will spend nearly $6.4 billion in the coming year, up nearly $300 million from where the state started the current year.
Besides a $1,500 pay raise for teachers, some state, university and community college employees will also get pay raises. The state will also spend more money to offer medical, mental health and rehabilitation services to people at home, instead of in hospitals and nursing homes.
The new budget includes $86 million in one-time capital expense money for building and technology projects, financed by the surplus the state recorded last year.
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Noon
Mississippi lawmakers have given final approval for a $1,500 pay raise for teachers beginning July 1.
The House voted 88-27 to approve changes to the pay schedule for teachers, sending it to Gov. Phil Bryant for his approval or veto.
Senate Education Committee Chairman Gray Tollison says the increase is expected to cost about $58 million, less than the $76 million previously estimated.
House and Senate negotiators reached the deal on Senate Bill 2770 on Wednesday. The Senate considered it first thing Thursday, passing it 46-2.
Both the House and the Senate rejected attempts by Democrats to seek a higher raise. The minority party wanted to restart negotiations, seeking a pair of $2,000 increases over two years.
The raise is higher than the pair of $500 increases over two years that Republican leaders initially proposed.
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10 a.m.
Mississippi lawmakers are moving toward a $1,500 pay raise for teachers beginning July 1.
The state Senate on Thursday voted 46-2 to approve the changes to the pay schedule for teachers starting July 1. Senate Education Committee Chairman Gray Tollison says the increase is expected to cost about $58 million.
House and Senate negotiators reached the deal on Senate Bill 2770 Wednesday after days of negotiations. The House must also approve the agreement.
The raise is higher than the pair of $500 increases over two years that Republican leaders had initially proposed.
On a 28-19 vote, the Senate rejected an attempt by Senate Democratic Minority Leader Derrick Simmons of Greenville to seek a higher pay raise. Simmons wanted to restart negotiations for a pair of $2,000 increases over two years.
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