Lawmakers Consider Teacher Pay, Insurance Cost for Families
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A Mississippi public school teacher with 15 years of experience providing health insurance for their family took home just under $30,000 a year in net pay in 2020, a “shocking number,” a policy adviser with the Southern Regional Education Board told state lawmakers Wednesday.
That's only a few thousand dollars more a year than first-year teachers who were paying for only their health insurance took home, the adviser said.
“All of these are shocking numbers to us — that a Mississippi teacher potentially serving 15 years, especially one who is a single parent, is taking home a wage that can barely cover housing and utilities," board policy adviser Megan Boren said.
A teacher with 15 years of experience took home an annual salary of about $29,680 after taxes and benefits in 2020, compared with about $26,580 for first-year teachers, according to data shared by the Atlanta nonpartisan nonprofit.
Read more: https://www.jacksonfreepress.com/news/2021/sep/16/lawmakers-consider-teacher-pay-insurance-cost-fami/