The Jackson Public School District announced pay raises for teachers, staff. See how much
A "significant" pay increase for teachers in the Jackson Public School District was approved for the 2024-2025 school year.
JPS Board of Trustees approved the pay increase on Tuesday, according to a press release.
"The Jackson Public Schools Board of Trustees has approved a significant increase in the local supplement added to the State of Mississippi's minimum pay for school teachers, alongside a notable pay raise for hourly-paid staff," the announcement states. "This decision reflects the district’s commitment to investing in its human capital and enhancing the quality of education."
Starting for the 2024-2025 school year, teachers and other certified staff will see an increase in their local supplement — the largest in Jackson Public Schools' local supplement history, according to the press release.
The new supplement minimums are as follows:
Teachers with 0-20 years of service: $5,000.
Teachers with 21-30 years of service: $5,250.
Teachers with more than 31 years of service: $5,500.
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Further, the press release states that the increased local supplement positions make JPS teachers the highest-paid in the Jackson metropolitan area. Additionally, the JPS Board has approved increased hourly wages for "classified staff," with a minimum raise of $2 per hour. Skilled laborers or licensed positions will receive up to $7 more per hour.
The pay raises come on the heal of a tough year for the school district. In December, the board voted to close 11 schools and merge two others. The decision was made after careful consideration and evaluation of the district's resources, as well as the number of students who attend the schools in the area.
The 2015-2016 school year saw a total of 27,267 students enrolled at JPS. That has declined by almost 10,000 students, with last year's enrollment numbers at 18,773.
The district has also had issues with overstaffing of teachers. Last year, JPS had 18,773 students and a staff of 2,939. In comparison, Birmingham City Schools had an enrollment number 21,328 and a teacher staff of 1,886 — more than 1,000 fewer teachers than JPS.
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"I’m very excited to provide such significant salary increases for JPS team members," said JPS Superintendent Errick Greene. "As we continue to strive for excellence in education, and to hold ourselves to even higher standards of service and outcomes for scholars, it is imperative that we pay our people competitive wages. We must treat them with respect, and one of the clearest demonstrations of that respect is in the way that we compensate them."
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: JPS announces pay increase for teachers, staff
