Teacher Pay Competitiveness Act; enact to raise teacher salaries.

SB 2246 raises Mississippi's minimum teacher salary scale by $8,000 for the 2026-2027 school year and beyond. It directly affects all public school teachers in Mississippi by increasing their base pay according to a revised salary schedule that applies to all experience levels and license types. The bill amends existing law to set new minimum annual salaries, ranging from $53,500 for entry-level teachers with no experience to over $79,000 for those with 35+ years of experience. This change applies uniformly across all public school districts without requiring additional approval for individual teachers. The increase is effective starting the 2026-2027 school year.