Assistant teachers; increase minimum base pay to $20,000.00.

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To: Education;
Appropriations A
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026

By: Representative Haney

HOUSE BILL NO. 996

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 37-21-7, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO 1
INCREASE THE MINIMUM ASSISTANT TEACHER SALARY TO $20,000.00; AND 2
FOR RELATED PURPOSES. 3
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: 4
SECTION 1. Section 37-21-7, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 5
amended as follows: 6
37-21-7. (1) This section shall be referred to as the 7
"Mississippi Elementary Schools Assistant Teacher Program," the 8
purpose of which shall be to provide an early childhood education 9
program that assists in the instruction of basic skills. The 10
State Board of Education is authorized, empowered and directed to 11
implement a statewide system of assistant teachers in kindergarten 12
classes and in the first, second and third grades. The assistant 13
teacher shall assist pupils in actual instruction under the strict 14
supervision of a licensed teacher. 15
(2) (a) Except as otherwise authorized under subsection 16
(7), each school district shall employ the total number of 17
assistant teachers funded under subsection (6) of this section. 18
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The superintendent of each district shall assign the assistant 19
teachers to the kindergarten, first-, second- and third-grade 20
classes in the district in a manner that will promote the maximum 21
efficiency, as determined by the superintendent, in the 22
instruction of skills such as verbal and linguistic skills, 23
logical and mathematical skills, and social skills. 24
(b) If a licensed teacher to whom an assistant teacher 25
has been assigned is required to be absent from the classroom, the 26
assistant teacher may assume responsibility for the classroom in 27
lieu of a substitute teacher. However, no assistant teacher shall 28
assume sole responsibility of the classroom for more than three 29
(3) consecutive school days. Further, in no event shall any 30
assistant teacher be assigned to serve as a substitute teacher for 31
any teacher other than the licensed teacher to whom that assistant 32
teacher has been assigned. 33
(3) Assistant teachers shall have, at a minimum, a high 34
school diploma or a High School Equivalency Diploma equivalent, 35
and shall show demonstratable proficiency in reading and writing 36
skills. The State Department of Education shall develop a testing 37
procedure for assistant teacher applicants to be used in all 38
school districts in the state. 39
(4) (a) In order to receive funding, each school district 40
shall: 41
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(i) Submit a plan on the implementation of a 42
reading improvement program to the State Department of Education; 43
and 44
(ii) Develop a plan of educational accountability 45
and assessment of performance, including pretests and posttests, 46
for reading in Grades 1 through 6. 47
(b) Additionally, each school district shall: 48
(i) Provide annually a mandatory preservice 49
orientation session, using an existing in-school service day, for 50
administrators and teachers on the effective use of assistant 51
teachers as part of a team in the classroom setting and on the 52
role of assistant teachers, with emphasis on program goals; 53
(ii) Hold periodic workshops for administrators 54
and teachers on the effective use and supervision of assistant 55
teachers; 56
(iii) Provide training annually on specific 57
instructional skills for assistant teachers; 58
(iv) Annually evaluate their program in accordance 59
with their educational accountability and assessment of 60
performance plan; and 61
(v) Designate the necessary personnel to supervise 62
and report on their program. 63
(5) The State Department of Education shall: 64
(a) Develop and assist in the implementation of a 65
statewide uniform training module, subject to the availability of 66
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funds specifically appropriated therefor by the Legislature, which 67
shall be used in all school districts for training administrators, 68
teachers and assistant teachers. The module shall provide for the 69
consolidated training of each assistant teacher and teacher to 70
whom the assistant teacher is assigned, working together as a 71
team, and shall require further periodic training for 72
administrators, teachers and assistant teachers regarding the role 73
of assistant teachers; 74
(b) Annually evaluate the program on the district and 75
state level. Subject to the availability of funds specifically 76
appropriated therefor by the Legislature, the department shall 77
develop: (i) uniform evaluation reports, to be performed by the 78
principal or assistant principal, to collect data for the annual 79
overall program evaluation conducted by the department; or (ii) a 80
program evaluation model that, at a minimum, addresses process 81
evaluation; and 82
(c) Promulgate rules, regulations and such other 83
standards deemed necessary to effectuate the purposes of this 84
section. Noncompliance with the provisions of this section and 85
any rules, regulations or standards adopted by the department may 86
result in a violation of compulsory accreditation standards as 87
established by the State Board of Education and the Commission on 88
School Accreditation. 89
(6) Each school district shall be allotted sufficient 90
funding under the total funding formula provided in Sections 91
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37-151-200 through 37-151-215 for the purpose of employing 92
assistant teachers. No assistant teacher shall be paid less than 93
the amount he or she received in the prior school year. No school 94
district shall receive any funds under this section for any school 95
year during which the aggregate amount of the local contribution 96
to the salaries of assistant teachers by the district shall have 97
been reduced below such amount for the previous year. 98
For assistant teachers, the minimum annual salary shall be as 99
follows: 100
* * * 2026-2027 and Subsequent Years Minimum Salary.............. 101
................................................. * * * $20,000.00 102
In addition, for each one percent (1%) that the Sine Die 103
General Fund Revenue Estimate Growth exceeds five percent (5%) in 104
fiscal year 2006, as certified by the Legislative Budget Office to 105
the State Board of Education and subject to the specific 106
appropriation therefor by the Legislature, the State Board of 107
Education shall revise the salary scale in the appropriate year to 108
provide an additional one percent (1%) across-the-board increase 109
in the base salaries for assistant teachers. The State Board of 110
Education shall revise the salaries prescribed above for assistant 111
teachers to conform to any adjustments made in prior fiscal years 112
due to revenue growth over and above five percent (5%). The 113
assistant teachers shall not be restricted to working only in the 114
grades for which the funds were allotted, but may be assigned to 115
other classes as provided in subsection (2)(a) of this section. 116
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ST: Assistant teachers; increase minimum base
pay to $20,000.00.
(7) (a) As an alternative to employing assistant teachers, 117
any school district may use the funding provided under subsection 118
(6) of this section for the purpose of employing licensed teachers 119
for kindergarten, first-, second- and third-grade classes; 120
however, no school district shall be authorized to use the funding 121
for assistant teachers for the purpose of employing licensed 122
teachers unless the district has established that the employment 123
of licensed teachers using such funds will reduce the 124
teacher:student ratio in the kindergarten, first-, second- and 125
third-grade classes. All state funds for assistant teachers shall 126
be applied to reducing teacher:student ratio in Grades K-3. 127
It is the intent of the Legislature that no school district 128
shall dismiss any assistant teacher for the purpose of using the 129
assistant teacher funding to employ licensed teachers. School 130
districts may rely only upon normal attrition to reduce the number 131
of assistant teachers employed in that district. 132
(b) Districts meeting the highest levels of 133
accreditation standards, as defined by the State Board of 134
Education, shall be exempted from the provisions of subsection (4) 135
of this section. 136
SECTION 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from 137
and after July 1, 2026. 138