When the Legislature overrode Gov. Reeves’ veto of public school funding, Mississippi public schools finally got their budgets.
Overall, MAEP funding for this school year is $37-million less than it was last year, a 1.6% cut, and $250-million below what state law says is adequate to provide Mississippi children a quality education. Legislators worked hard to mitigate the cut to public schools this year; most state agency budgets decreased by 3 to 5% from the previous year due to a pandemic-induced downturn in the economy.
While most school districts’ budgets saw a year-over-year reduction, a few got a state funding increase due to gains in enrollment or reductions in their required local contribution. See how your schools fared here.
Legislative leaders have said that they intend to make school funding a priority over the next three years in order to close the gaping hole between what is adequate and what the state actually provides our public schools. Our neighboring states (Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Tennessee) outspend Mississippi by more than $1,000 per student, and decades of chronic underfunding left Mississippi’s public schools without the technological capacity and basic infrastructure they needed to respond well to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Legislators will need our support in order to make full, adequate funding a reality. With that in mind, we are working hard to ensure a strong, active network of public school champions in every legislative district, and we could sure use your help. Here are two things you can do right now:
- Ask 3 friends to sign up for our email updates here
- Send an email to info@msparentscampaign.org with the message, “I’ll help,” and we’ll be in touch to get your ideas about ways to reach more folks in your community
Your support of our public schools is more important than ever, as educators and parents struggle to keep Mississippi students learning and teachers, staff, students, and families safe. A few minutes of your time could make all the difference as we work toward better days.
Thank you for standing in the gap to ensure that all Mississippi children have a shot at a bright future. Together, we’ve got this. What a blessing!
