2023 Legislative Priorities

An excellent early education experience for every child

  • Increased funding for pre-k programs
    • amend Early Learning Collaborative (ELC) statute to embed increased per-student state match of $2,500 per student in a full-day program (current statute provides for $2,150) and $1,250 per student for a half-day program (current statute provides for $1,075)
    • increase the early childhood education appropriation for FY2023 (ELCs and public pre-k)

An excellent teacher in every classroom

  • Teacher shortage – codify a plan to address Mississippi’s critical teacher shortage, which may include, but is not limited to:
    • allowing retired teachers to return full- or part-time and draw their retirement allowance
    • a career ladder that allows teachers to stay in the classroom and be compensated at higher levels for additional leadership responsibilities
    • PRAXIS preparation assistance
  • Require the identification and publication of university/college preparation programs that yield the highest growth outcomes in K-12 student achievement

An excellent public school for every Mississippi child

  • Increased Mississippi Adequate Education Program (MAEP) funding – codify a plan to reach full funding of the MAEP no later than the 2025-2026 school year (FY2026), with substantial increases each year
  • Full funding of the special education add-on portion of the Mississippi Adequate Education Program
  • Maintain the current level of funding for literacy coaches and math coaches
  • Amend the Educational Facilities Revolving Loan Fund statute to increase the per-district cap and remove the requirement that the funds be repaid

Public funds restricted to public schools (defeat of privatization measures)

  • Defeat all new voucher or tax credit scholarship proposals or expansions
  • Maintain and strengthen as necessary, restrictions on the existing ESA voucher program implemented as a result of SB 2594 in the 2020 Legislative Session
  • Defeat measures that would alter the way school boards are elected. These are privatization measures, generally authored by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), that:
    • simplify the process by which privatizers take majority control of local school boards by having all seats elected simultaneously (not staggered), and
    • facilitate recruitment and funding of privatization candidates by out-of-state organizations and persons by aligning school board elections with presidential or gubernatorial elections, making it easy for out-of-state funders to identify when the elections are taking place
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