There were several top performers across the state in girls high school sports, but only one can be voted as the Clarion Ledger athlete of the week for March 23-28.

Fans may vote in the poll BELOW one time per hour per device. The poll closes at noon on Friday.

To nominate a future athlete of the week, email mchavez@gannett.com or message him on X, formerly Twitter, @MikeSChavez.

To submit high school scores, statistics, records, leaders and other items at any time, email mchavez@gannett.com.

Nominations

Lexie Dixon, Alcorn Central: Dixon had eight hits with two home runs and eight RBIs in Alcorn Central games against Booneville and Corinth.

Alyssa McMurtrey, Pisgah: McMurtrey had seven hits with 10 RBIs in Pisgah’s games against Morton and Quitman.

Madison Rhodes, Clinton: Rhodes had four hits with eight RBIs and a pair of stolen bases during Clinton’s games against Madison Central, Germantown and Murrah.

Abbie Robertson, Itawamba Agricultural: Robertson had two home runs and nine RBIs during Itawamba Agricultural’s wins against Amory and Pine Grove.

Addy Walker Phillips, Neshoba Central: Phillips produced six hits and six RBIs in Neshoba Central’s games against West Lauderdale and Choctaw Central.

Michael Chavez covers high school sports for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at mchavez@gannett.com or reach out to him on X, formerly Twitter @MikeSChavez.

People who get Supplemental Security Income checks will get paid on Wednesday, April 1.

The payments sometimes go out early. It happens when the first falls on a weekend or a holiday. Checks get sent on the last weekday before the normal send date.

Social Security recipients also will get their regular checks as scheduled in April. Benefits are typically disbursed to almost 74 million people on Wednesdays later in the month. Your payment date depends on the day of the month you were born.

Here’s what you should know about the April payment schedule, when the next time SSI checks will go out early and where to find a Social Security Office near you in Mississippi.

March 2026 Social Security payment schedule

The Social Security Administration’s 2026 payment schedules are online to help beneficiaries plan their budgets.

Regular Social Security retirement benefits will be issued according to the SSA’s standard payment schedule in March:

• March 11: Birthdates between the first and 10th of the month
• March 18: Birthdates between the 11th and the 20th of the month
• March 25: Birthdates between the 21st and the 31st of the month

When will SSI checks be sent early in 2026?

The next time checks will be sent early is Friday, July 31. August 1 is a Saturday this year.

SSI checks also will be sent out early for November because the first is over a weekend.

And the first check of the new year always gets sent on New Year’s Eve because of the holiday conflict.

SSI payment schedule for 2026

Supplemental Security Income checks will be sent out on the following dates in 2026, according to the SSA calendar.

It’s usually sent on the first of the month, but they are disbursed early if the first falls on a weekend or holiday.

• Wednesday, April 1 (check for April)
• Friday, May 1 (check for May)
• Monday, June 1 (check for June)
• Wednesday, July 1 (check for July)
• Friday, July 31 (check for August)
• Tuesday, Sept. 1 (check for September)
• Thursday, Oct. 1 (check for October)
• Friday, Oct. 30 (check for November)
• Tuesday, Dec. 1 (check for December)
• Thursday, Dec. 31 (check for January 2027)

A back-and-forth affair over teacher pay raises inside the Mississippi capitol – a debate that technically died before being revived – is expected to end with K-12 educators statewide receiving a $2,000 bump to their salaries.

The Senate on Sunday unanimously voted to fund the pay increase for teachers in the state’s public school system while conversations in the House affirmed the chamber will follow suit. Special education teachers, assistant teachers, speech therapists, and school psychologists will receive the same pay increase.

Notably, lawmakers are also working to budget for a $5,000 raise for school attendance officers and funding to hire nine more. The plan would ensure one attendance officer for every 4,000 students statewide. Attendance officers are responsible for investigating unexcused absences, making home visits, and coordinating with families and courts to improve dropout rates.

The anticipated investment comes as Mississippi continues to grapple with chronic absenteeism. According to an October report from the Mississippi Department of Education, more than a quarter of public-school students missed over 10% of the 2024-25 school year.

The raises will be immediate if a conference report approved by both chambers goes into law. It is expected to be passed by both chambers as early as Monday with Republican Speaker Jason White telling the House he expects the session to end “no later than Thursday.”

The deal to give teachers a $2,000 raise follows months of different numbers bouncing around the capitol. The Senate initially proposed a $2,000 immediate raise, while the House pushed for a $5,000 immediate raise. After missing a key deadline earlier this month, both chambers found alternative routes to revive the measures. The House maintained its $5,000 proposal, while the Senate advanced a plan to phase in a $6,000 raise over three years.

Despite recent academic gains that have drawn national praise – including a No. 16 national ranking after decades at the bottom – Mississippi teachers remain among the lowest paid in the country. A 2025 report from the National Education Association found the state’s starting salary of $41,500 ranks near the bottom nationwide, even when accounting for cost of living.

Sunday’s budgeting work is part of a broader education appropriation expected to round out at approximately $3.3 billion. If the numbers stand, it will make way for the first teacher pay raise since 2022.

Sen. Dennis DeBar, a Republican from Leakesville and chair of the Senate Education Committee, said lawmakers settled on the $2,000 figure due to competing budget demands, including Medicaid and the Public Employees’ Retirement System. The state’s total budget for Fiscal Year 2027 is expected to be around $7.4 billion.

“There’s nothing that says we can’t do a (teacher) pay raise again next year,” DeBar said. “However, we didn’t want to lock ourselves in somewhere we couldn’t pay.”