Public school teachers would gain pay bumps ranging from $4,000 to $6,000 under a plan Mississippi House lawmakers overwhelmingly approved Wednesday afternoon. The legislation, known as the Strategically Accelerating the Recruitment And Retention Of Teachers (START) Act, passed on a vote of 114-to-6.

Starting pay for teachers with a bachelor’s degree would increase from the current level of $37,000 to $43,125—higher than the southeast regional average of $39,897 and the nation average of $41,163. Mississippi currently ranks last nationwide and in the region for teacher pay. The bill also includes $2,000 raises for teacher’s assistants, who currently earn just $15,000 a year.

The bill will still have to earn approval in the Mississippi Senate and the governor’s signature to become law. The Senate has proposed a separate plan with smaller upfront raises but which incorporates significant increases over time.

Award-winning News Editor Ashton Pittman, a native of the South Mississippi Pine Belt, studied journalism and political science at the University of Southern Mississippi. Previously the state reporter at the Jackson Free Press, he drove national headlines and conversations with award-winning reporting about segregation academies. He has won numerous awards, including Outstanding New Journalist in the South, for his work covering immigration raids, abortion battles and even former Gov. Phil Bryant’s unusual work with “The Bad Boys of Brexit" at the Jackson Free Press. In 2021, as a Mississippi Free Press reporter, he was named the Diamond Journalist of the Year for seven southern U.S. states in the Society of Professional Journalists Diamond Awards. A trained photojournalist, Ashton lives in South Mississippi with his husband, William, and their two pit bulls, Dorothy and Dru.