On Tuesday, July 19, voters in Harrison County will elect a new representative for House District 119, replacing former Rep. Sonya Williams-Barnes, who resigned recently. Please help us spread the word about where the candidates stand on important public education issues! We sent our Candidate Q&A to special election candidates in House District 119, asking […]
Special Election in Harrison County July 19 Read More »
At last August’s Senate tax cut hearings, the message from Mississippi’s business and industry leaders and the community at large was clear: DO NOT CUT TAXES; INVEST MORE IN PUBLIC EDUCATION. Then, we asked you to call. And you did. Thousands of you called and urged your legislators to pay the debt they owe our children before
Legislators Chose to Underfund Your Schools. See How Much. Read More »
Terry Boler gets it. She knows it makes a difference when public school supporters speak up on behalf of Mississippi children, and she takes advantage of every opportunity to do just that. An educator in the DeSoto County School District, Boler is a public school champion who constantly strives to ensure a brighter future for her
She Gets It – And That’s Making a Big Difference for Mississippi Children! Read More »
The 2022 Legislative Session had some real highs (hooray for a REAL teacher pay raise!) and some appalling lows. The lowest lows came in the final days of the Legislative Session when we discovered a massive voucher program that had been hidden from public view – and from most legislators – since 2019. Apparently, a few
See Which Legislators Stood Strong for Public Schools Read More »
The House and Senate worked late into the evening on state budget bills, but some remain unresolved. The public school funding bill passed both chambers, and we are analyzing those numbers for you now. We will have the details for you tomorrow, so stay tuned. Together, we’ve got this!
State Budget Almost Finished Read More »
We won’t have a public school budget bill this weekend. The Legislative leadership acknowledged today that they would not meet the extended deadline for adoption of appropriations and revenue bills. They have extended that deadline once again, this time to April 10, although they are expected to complete the budget bills early next week. Thank
Legislature Misses Budget Deadline Again Read More »
This morning, we have discovered vouchers hidden in a conference report for an unrelated bill. Worse, the changes in statute are NOT underlined, something that is required to alert legislators to changes in law that are being proposed. HB 1685, a pregnancy resources bill, includes a $2-million increase in an already large tax credit/voucher program, the true
Vouchers Hidden in Conference Report – Need Calls! Read More »
How many times have our legislators told us that they value our children, teachers, and public schools, and that they always keep our best interests top of mind when deciding state budget issues? Their actions tell a different story… While public school underfunding has escalated, school buildings have deteriorated, special education resources have fallen short, and
This Will Make You Angry – and It Should Read More »
We are almost to the finish line, but we need your help on two critical issues to protect our public schools and our big win on teacher pay: 1. VOUCHERS – Privatizers are pushing to expand a voucher provision that was sneaked into a foster care bill last year. HB 1687 would allow millions of dollars in tax
URGENT: Need Calls on Vouchers and Tax Cuts! Read More »
The House has passed the teacher pay raise!! The vote on the conference report for HB 530 was 118 to 4. See the House vote. It now awaits Gov. Reeves’ signature, the final step in this historic move to bring Mississippi teacher pay closer to the Southeastern average. The bill provides a $2,000 raise for assistant
Teacher Pay Raise Passes the House! Read More »
