Senate moves school attendance officers under local school districts, raises minimum pay

The Mississippi Senate voted to shift employment and supervisory authority for School Attendance Officers (SAOs) from the State Department of Education to local school districts, along with a state funding guarantee for a minimum salary of $34,000 per SAO.

Senator DeBar (committee sponsor) said the bill is intended to strengthen local control of truancy work and provide more stable pay and professional development for SAOs. Under the committee substitute adopted on the floor, the state will fund one SAO for every approximately 3,000 students, with the $34,000 minimum funded by the state; local districts may supplement that salary.

The bill requires districts to report truancy data to the Department of Education, to send any student to an SAO after the fifth absence and to participate in joint reports with the superintendent association evaluating the transition to local control by mid‑2027. The Department of Education will retain oversight responsibilities for training, professional development and data collection the statute outlines.

An amendment adopted on the floor clarified salary language to make the $34,000 amount the state minimum and removed a conflicting 25% language. Senators said the measure seeks to increase attention to chronic absenteeism and provide clearer local accountability and resources.

Final passage was recorded by roll call; sponsors said the change is to take effect in the 2025–26 implementation window and include a joint evaluation and reporting requirement.

Sources: Floor debate and committee substitute.