The Mississippi Department of Education announced Friday that the State Board of Education awarded more than $2.9 million in teacher residency grants to nine Mississippi institutions to cover tuition and expenses for up to 236 individuals seeking licensure in elementary and special education, Dr. Corey Murphy told the Commission on Teacher and Administrator Education, Certification, Licensure and Development.

The grants are part of the Mississippi Teacher Residency (MTR) program, established in 2019 as a strategy to expand the teacher pipeline and support retention of highly effective teachers, Murphy said. "We're excited to report that the State Board of Education through the Mississippi Department of Education's teacher residency program awarded over $2,900,000 in grants to 9 Mississippi institutions of higher education to cover tuition and expenses for up to 236 individuals seeking licensure in the areas of elementary education and or, special education," Murphy said.

Murphy listed the institutions that received awards as Delta State University, Jackson State University, Mississippi College, Mississippi State University, Mississippi University for Women, Mississippi Valley State University, the University of Mississippi, the University of Southern Mississippi and William Carey University. He said the funds were appropriated by the state legislature and that applications were accepted and awarded to those campuses.

The residency program, Murphy said, aims to prepare teacher candidates so "all students have access to teachers who are well prepared, appropriately licensed and equipped to support the academic progress of all students." Murphy referred listeners to the Mississippi teacher residency web page on the MDE site for more information on eligibility and application procedures.

In a separate announcement, Murphy said Mansdale Upper Elementary third-grade teacher Kayla Saxton received the Milken Educator Award and its accompanying unrestricted $25,000 cash prize. Murphy noted the state superintendent and local district leaders joined the presentation and that Mississippi has had Milken award recipients since 1991.

Chair David Martin and members of the commission thanked MDE for the update. The commission recognized member Mary Hill Taylor, who will conclude her service after two four-year terms.

The commission set its next regular meeting for Jan. 9, 2026.