New funding will pay the tuition and expenses associated with licensure for 201 more students at nine Mississippi universities. Test prep, mentorship opportunities and professional development will also be available.

As long as resident teachers commit to teaching in a “critical shortage area,” Elementary Education and Special Education students can also expect mentoring sessions, professional development opportunities and licensure testing support.

During the 2025 session the Legislature made $2,968,855 available to the Mississippi Department of Education to bolster its residency program. The Mississippi Teacher Residency, a program meant to help staff school districts struggling with teacher retention and recruitment, drew its initial funds in 2019 from the W. Kellogg Foundation and then also from American Rescue Plan Act dollars. 

Capacity for the program can now increase from serving 35 to 236 resident teachers each year.

Eligibility is now open to prospective teachers, teachers seeking additional endorsements or licensure help, and currently enrolled education students. The former version of the program only offered tuition waivers and stipends to bachelor’s degree holders looking to get a masters’ in education. Applicants also now apply through their universities as opposed to through MDE.

The Mississippi Delta region and southwest Mississippi have the most teacher vacancies, according to a survey conducted by the Mississippi Department of Education. On July 7, Clarksdale Municipal School District and Vicksburg-Warren School District posted the most full-time certified teaching vacancies to their sites with 40 and 59 jobs posted respectively.

A majority of Mississippi school districts are categorized as “critical shortage areas,” with 56% claiming the title. Nearly every school district in the Delta region is considered a ‘critical shortage area.’ These districts also received failing or near failing scores in the accountability ratings.

In a recent Mississippi Today story, Delta area teachers-in-training expressed frustration with the lack of preparation they received for licensure, particularly with the PRAXIS licensure exams.

“It left me feeling overwhelmed as I tried to catch up, and it significantly impacted my confidence, academic performance and health,” Timolin Howard told Mississippi Today.

The nine Mississippi universities and the breakdown of funds is as follows:

• Delta State University – $280,000
• Jackson State University – $272,417
• Mississippi College – $119,684
• Mississippi State University – $1,298,981
• Mississippi University for Women – $140,000
• Mississippi Valley State University – $279,000
• University of Mississippi – $242,773
• University of Southern Mississippi – $196,000
• William Carey University – $140,000