Republican House and Senate leaders promptly fired the first rounds in a public education policy battle as the 2026 legislative session opened last week, then retreated behind their ramparts.

The Senate passed bills to provide a $2,000 teacher pay raise and only a mild nod to “school choice” — allowing students to more easily transfer between public schools — vowing to stand against more sweeping school-choice measures.

The House dropped such sweeping measures in a 553-page omnibus education bill, including a proposal to allow parents to use millions of tax dollars to pay for private schools, homeschooling or other alternatives to public education. The House has not yet proposed any across-the-board teacher raise.

Legislating is the art of compromise. Will the two sides find middle ground over the next three months of the session?

It’s likely the House’s fall-back position would be to negotiate on a teacher raise, in hopes the Senate would allow more expansive school choice — perhaps for tax credits for private schooling if not direct vouchers. Senate leaders already say they want to negotiate for a larger, more like $5,000, teacher raise. But so far they’ve left no daylight around their opposition to spending tax dollars on private schooling. And House Speaker Jason White has vowed not to use teacher pay as leverage for school choice.

Whatever bargaining or horse-trading is in the offing this year, public school educators and administrators will be closely watching, and perhaps drawn into, the political debate.

Quote of the Week

“I’m very troubled about what we have done. I’m very troubled about what we are doing. I’m very troubled about what we may do in the future.” — Sen. Hob Bryan, voicing his concern over a proposal to pump $1 billion in cash reserves into the state retirement system, without setting up a permanent revenue stream.

In Brief

State revenue up so far for FY’26

The state Legislative Budget Office report for December, the halfway point of fiscal 2026, shows state revenue collections are up $179 million, or 5% compared to the prior year-to-date.

As lawmakers begin their legislative session and prepare to set a more than $7 billion budget for the coming fiscal year, legislative leaders said last week that the state has about $1.5 billion in cash reserves. – Geoff Pender

Black Caucus, faith leaders promote ‘just and equitable’ policies

Members of the Legislative Black Caucus joined faith leaders on Thursday to outline their legislative agenda for the 2026 session, which includes prioritizing public funds for K-12 public education, reforming the criminal justice system, and increasing Mississippi’s workforce participation rate. 

The Rev. Reginald Buckley, pastor of Cade Chapel Missionary Baptist Church in Jackson, encouraged legislators to pass laws that care “for those who are the most vulnerable among us.” 

The caucus is also pushing lawmakers to prioritize policies that strengthen the social safety net, adequately fund historically Black colleges and expand access to affordable health care. – Taylor Vance

Lawmaker targets abortion pills — and speech

Mississippi played a central role in ending constitutional protections for abortion nationwide after the state prevailed in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the 2022 U.S. Supreme Court decision that allowed states to ban abortions.

A Mississippi House bill formed the basis for that lawsuit. Even though the state has a near total-abortion ban in effect, some lawmakers are still focused on the issue.

Rep. William Tracy Arnold, a Republican from Booneville, has filed a bill that would introduce harsher penalties on the manufacturing, marketing, mailing and delivery of medications that facilitate abortion. These drugs are already effectively illegal in Mississippi, but this bill would go a step further, criminalizing not just the distribution of these drugs, but even giving “information orally” about them. – Michael Goldberg

Bills would increase minimum wage, unemployment benefits

Among 12 bills referred to the House Workforce Development Committee so far, three would impact a large number of Mississippians.

Rep. Robert Johnson, the House Democratic leader from Natchez, has again proposed a bill creating a state minimum wage starting at $10 an hour. Mississippi is one of only half-a-dozen states without its own minimum wage. The state follows the federal minimum wage, which is $7.25 an hour and has not changed since 2009.

Reps. John Hines, a Democrat from Greenville, and Donnie Bell, a Republican from Fulton and chairman of the Workforce Development Committee, each introduced bills to change weekly unemployment benefits. Bell is proposing to raise the weekly maximum from $235 to $250. Hines is proposing raising the minimum from $30 to $250 with higher earners having higher weekly minimum benefits.. – Katherine Lin 

Safeguards proposed as welfare scandal trial begins

The trial for Ted “Teddy” DiBiase Jr., the first and perhaps the only criminal case to be brought to jurors in the Mississippi welfare scandal that’s unfolded over the last six years, began last week.

In the Legislature, some lawmakers are still attempting to introduce new safeguards on Mississippi’s welfare spending.

Rep. Robert Johnson filed a bill this session that would direct the Legislature’s watchdog committee to conduct a review of subcontracts and subgrants of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families funds awarded by the state’s Department of Human Services at least once every two years. TANF money was at the center of Mississippi’s sprawling welfare scandal. – Michael Goldberg

Senate votes unanimously to pump $1 billion into PERS

The full Senate on Wednesday unanimously passed a measure to funnel $1 billion of cash reserves into the state’s public pension system over the next decade. The proposal now heads to the House for consideration. 

The measure would put half-a-billion dollars of the state’s current surplus into Mississippi’s government pension system, then earmark $50 million a year over the next decade into the underfunded system. 

Sen. Daniel Sparks, a Republican from Belmont who authored the legislation, said giving the Public Employees’ Retirement System a large cash infusion is a necessary next step after the Legislature last year overhauled it. – Taylor Vance

By the Numbers

$132 million

Estimated annual cost of a pay raise approved by the Senate last week for public school teachers and assistants, and university and community college professors.

$87.5 million

The cost to provide private school vouchers for 12,500 students, in the House’s “school choice” proposal unveiled last week.

Full Legislative Coverage

What’s in the Mississippi House’s omnibus school-choice education bill?

The House on Wednesday filed a 553-page bill to reshape public education and provide more school choice, including spending taxpayer funds on private schools. The bill also would ease public school transfer regulations, make it easier to open charter schools statewide and expand the literacy act that helped lead Mississippi to nationally noted success in student literacy. Read the story.

Mississippi school-choice battle begins: House unveils omnibus plan. Senate wants teacher raise, opposes vouchers

The two chambers of the Legislature drew lines in the sand Wednesday, setting up a battle in the weeks or months ahead. While the Senate wants a tweak to allow more public-to-public school district transfers, the House is pushing for wide-ranging changes, including letting parents spend public money on private schools. Read the story.

House committee passes certificate of need bill, eyes further changes

The bill would make it easier for medical facilities to make improvements to buildings and equipment and require the University of Mississippi Medical Center to seek state approval for certain expansion plans. Read the story.

Senate panel passes $2,000 teacher raise

The Senate Education Committee on Tuesday, the first day of the 2026 legislative session, voted to raise teacher pay, make it easier for retirees to teach and loosen public school district transfer regulations.. Read the story.

Open government? Not if you’re the Mississippi House speaker

House Speaker Jason White and his staff made a bumble-headed decision by blocking a Mississippi Today reporter from attending White’s pre-legislative session Q&A on Monday – a decision that violates the principles of government transparency. Read the opinion column.

House Speaker Jason White bars Mississippi Today from Capitol press event

The decision by the speaker’s office followed a Mississippi Today exclusive report in April that White, his staff and some of their spouses were treated to a trip to the 2025 Super Bowl by a sports-gambling company. After that story was published, Mississippi Today was removed from the speaker’s press distribution list, and his office stopped responding to requests for comment. Read the story.

Committee approves $1 billion over next decade to shore up PERS

The Senate Appropriations Committee on the first day of the 2026 legislative session voted to put half-a-billion dollars of the state’s current surplus into Mississippi’s government pension system, in addition to putting $50 million a year over the next decade into the underfunded system. Read the story.

What issues will the Mississippi Legislature address in its 2026 session?

This will be the third year of the current Legislature’s four-year term. Over the next three months, lawmakers will likely file 3,000 or more bills, winnow them down to a few hundred that are passed into law, and also set an over $7 billion state budget. Read the story.