Assistant Teacher Salary Waiver Grant Program; create to help assistant teachers become licensed.

HB 274 creates a program allowing Mississippi assistant teachers to receive tuition assistance by waiving part of their salary. Eligible current assistant teachers (with 5+ years experience, enrolled full-time in an accredited Mississippi college with 2 years left to graduate, maintaining a 2.5 GPA) can have their salary portion (equal to the state minimum) paid directly toward tuition instead of their paycheck. To qualify, they must pass a standardized teaching exam, sign a commitment to teach in Mississippi for the duration of their degree, and fulfill a teaching obligation afterward. The State Board of Education will administer the program and report annually on teacher vacancies and provisional license hires.