Mississippi’s candidates for lieutenant governor in this year’s statewide elections have started off hand-in-hand on at least one big issue: teacher pay.
Republican Delbert Hosemann, currently the secretary of state, and Democrat Jay Hughes, a member of the state House of Representatives, both said at a recent conference of teachers that the $1,500 pay raise approved in the legislative session is simply not enough.
As the campaign looks toward the general election in November, it will be worth watching to see how high above that figure each will favor if elected to the state’s second-highest office.
The lieutenant governor’s job includes direction of the state Senate — the main job there being the appointment of committee chairs. The newly-chosen chairperson of the Senate Education Committee appointed by one of them in 2020 will have much to say about future teacher pay raises, but in truth, only to the extent approved by the next lieutenant governor.
Mississippi has forever been chasing the rabbit called the “Southeastern Average,” the point at which our average teacher’s salary would match that in surrounding states. With the $1,500 increase, Mississippi teachers will have reached an average of about $46,000 annually, still well below the regional median of $51,000 per year.
I well remember these chases as a legislative reporter and later as a hired public information communicator under the legendary, now-deceased Speaker of the House Tim Ford. He and his successor Billy McCoy, both Democrats, fought the good fight on behalf of Mississippi’s teachers.
I recall at one point about 16 years ago that our average teacher’s pay moved within about $2,500 of the rabbit, then fell back down the list, not to return.
This is not a valid comparison because of Georgia’s wealth as a state and Mississippi’s lack of it, but that won’t stop me from telling the story.
In Georgia, where my wife was a teacher and curriculum supervisor for 30 years in one public school district, she and her associates received annual pay hikes of 6 percent in each of her last four years on the job (she went to work at 21 and retired at 51).
The reason was Gov. Zell Miller’s dedication to public education. Miller served as Georgia governor from 1991-1999 and later a term in the U.S. Senate by appointment. He was a Democrat but supported Republican George H.W. Bush’s run for President in 2004 and addressed the GOP convention that year.
His personal politics did not concern Georgia’s public teachers. They were too appreciative of his commitment to education and their welfare — not only during their working careers but later as recipients of the boost in retirement income.
Miller is also recognized as a founder of the HOPE Scholarship, providing college tuition funds for Georgia students who could maintain at least a 3.0 grade average.
HOPE was funded then and now by the Georgia Lottery. Most of Mississippi’s lottery is earmarked for transportation needs, with any revenue above $80 million annually headed for public education.
Here’s what the candidates said about that:
Hosemann: “Roads and bridges are critical. They are how citizens get to work and our children get to school. The Legislature has provided that proceeds from the lottery in excess of $80 million will be dedicated to education.
“Other states structure their lotteries in many different ways, but several thousand Mississippi 4-year-olds still do not have access to early childhood education. (They) likely may never catch up to their peers. I will resist any attempt to spend any excess on anything other than education.”
Hughes: “I fully support (using lottery revenue on public education). I think it is shame that we struggle so hard with education and funding, yet chose not to dedicate real revenue to early education or workforce training.”
Hughes said if elected, he will push for lotto funds to go first to education, then infrastructure.
Mac Gordon is a part-time resident of McComb. He is a retired newspaperman. He can be reached at macmarygordon @gmail.com.
