Mississippi Expands Alternate Routes to Teaching

On April 27, 2004, Governor Haley Barbour signed Senate Bill 2712 into law expanding alternate route certification options and giving non-education majors incentives to pursue teaching as a career.

“I am pleased to sign this bill,” said Gov. Barbour. “This is very good legislation.”

The bill provides that the Teach Mississippi Institute program for alternate route certification for teachers include a fall or spring semester option for non-education majors. Additionally, the bill provides that non-education majors will be eligible to participate in the William Winter Teacher Scholar Loan Program and that those licensed under the nontraditional teaching route will be eligible for awards under the Critical Needs Teacher Scholarship Program.

“This is a wonderful way, for example, to allow the pre-med biology major who does not go to medical school to enter the teaching profession,” said Dr. Henry L. Johnson, State Superintendent of Education. “Teachers in the classroom are the heart of education and we want to allow the brightest minds in any field to help give the boys and girls of Mississippi the best education possible.”

While Mississippi schools need approximately 3,000 new teachers each year, schools of education at Mississippi universities graduate approximately 1,500. The measure provided in the bill signed by Gov. Barbour will help to alleviate this difference.

“We want to give college students who are non-education majors incentives,” said Barbour. “If we can get the biology major to teach science in Belzoni and the math teacher to teach math in Waynesboro, through scholarships, loans and grants, and increase our ability to certify teachers through alternate routes, then we'll have more teachers.”

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