Ellington

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The head of an educators' union is praising Mississippi lawmakers for moving forward with a teacher pay raise proposal. But, he's asking them to do more.

Mississippi Association of Educators director Frank Yates says Tuesday that to keep up with neighboring states, Mississippi needs to pass a 5.5 percent teacher pay raise each year for the next five years.

The Senate Education Committee advanced a plan Tuesday to give teachers a $1,500 raise this July, followed by another $1,000 a year later. That's 5 percent for beginning teachers the first year and 3 percent the second year. In the third year, teachers would become eligible for merit raises in schools with good academic performance.

The committee put the plan into House Bill 504, sending it to the full Senate.