Mississippi News Nonprofit Will Mississippi teachers get a raise this year? After the deadline for general legislation has expired, legislators on both sides have introduced more than a dozen pay-raise laws. Gov. Phil Bryant already supports the idea. He stated this in his last State of the State address. Mississippi teachers are paid according to their years of education and experience. Assistant teachers earn a minimum of $12,500. Democrats have criticised Republican leadership for this year’s push. On Wednesday, Senator Hob Bryan, D.Amory, stated that legislative leadership had spent the past seven years focused on passing “school option” legislation. Bryan asked, “Now it is an election year and suddenly they are for a teacher salary increase?” Bryant replied, “If it wasn’t so cynical, it would be laughable.” Bryant signed a bill into law in 2014 that granted teachers a $2,500 raise. It cost the state approximately $100 million. Bryant also signed another measure that financially rewards teachers who score A or B on the state’s grading scales or improves their letter grades. There are several bills pending in this year’s Legislature. They were filed by both Democrats and Republicans.