House Bill 49: Full funding of the Mississippi Adequate Education Program (MAEP) – base student cost and add-on programs – as well as the National Board Certified Teacher supplement, Educable Child, and the second phase of the pay raise for teachers with more than 25 years of experience for a total appropriation of $2,241,137,844. The bill also provides $3-million to continue the High School Redesign program in districts that are already participating. It does not provide the $10-million required to expand the program to additional districts. Key components funded in this bill are as follows:

• Dyslexia Screening & Related Disorders – $1,200,000
• Mentoring – $1,800,000
• National Board Certification Supplements: $23,500,000
• Principal Corps: $200,000
• Ad-Valorem Tax Reduction: $46,000,000
• EEF/Buildings & Buses: $16,000,000
• Classroom Supply: $7,292,600

Approved by the governor on June 30.

House Bill 865: Allows the MDE to allocate $3 million of its ARRA funds to four MS school districts with financial difficulties after conservator takes over was approved by the governor on 03/20.

Senate Bill 2314: The bill authorizing local school districts to operate and expend funds for early childhood programs was approved by the governor on 03/09.

House Bill 49: Provides funding for the second phase of the pay raise for teachers with more than 25 years of experience was approved by the governor on June 30, 2009.

Senate Bill 2628: The Children First Act

• Requires students to maintain a 2.0 grade point average on a 4.0 scale to participate in sports or
  extracurricular activities.
• Defines a failing school district as a district that fails to meet both the absolute student
  achievement standards and the rate of annual growth expectations as set by the State Board of
  Education for two consecutive years.
• Requires a school district to publish an annual report in a local newspaper and on its web site by
  November 1.
• Adds a district’s underperformance for two consecutive full school years to the list of conditions
  when the State Board may declare an extreme emergency situation. This gives authority to the
  State Board to remove a superintendent and school board members and to abolish the district
  when the governor declares an extreme emergency (granted under Section 37-17-13).
• Establishes within MDE the Mississippi Recovery School District under the supervision of a
  Deputy Superintendent of Education to provide leadership, management and oversight of all
  school districts under state conservatorship.
• Removes the $3 million cap on loans that may be made to the School District Emergency
  Assistance Fund in Section 37-17-6.
• Requires local superintendents to undergo training with school board members when they are
  serving in a district with one or more underperforming schools.
• Requires that, when a financial advisor is appointed to a school district, there is an automatic
  referral to the State Board of Public Accountancy if negligence has been suspected in an audit of
  that district.
• Requires underperforming districts to implement such training, programs and other requirements.
• Requires MDE to provide technical assistance to districts not meeting adequate performance,
  subject to appropriations.
• Requires a school district that has been designated underperforming as defined by the State
  Board to establish a community-based Pre-K through higher education council.
• Repeals Section 37-9-16, which provides for the removal of elected and appointed
  superintendents in certain circumstances, upon passage.

Approved by the governor on April 8, 2009.