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CALL TO ACTION: The Mississippi Legislature will reconvene at 1 p.m. today to take up legislation related to COVID-19. While they are in session, public schools need desperately for them to fix the K-12 budget mess caused by Gov. Reeves’ veto of public school funding. Please ask your legislators to override Gov. Reeves’ veto of public […]

Grades 7-12 in 8 counties may not begin in-person schooling before August 17, according to Gov. Reeves’ latest executive order. The mandate applies only to these counties: Bolivar Coahoma Forrest George Hinds Panola Sunflower Washington Additionally, the governor announced a statewide mask mandate in public and in retail environments and mandatory mask wearing for all students

“It’s impossible to imagine we are not going to pay the price for cramming kids into schools right now.”  – Dr. Thomas Dobbs, State Health Officer Early last week, public health officials believed that it was possible to reopen school buildings safely. They’ve since changed their minds.  In a Q&A with the Mississippi State Medical Association,

The deadline for PERS public comments has been extended to August 24. PERS set a new deadline after staff became aware that the original address posted for comment submission contained a clerical error. Read more about the proposed PERS rule reversal. Please submit comments urging the PERS Board to vigorously pursue an amendment to state

The PERS board has voted to rescind its policy change that would have allowed state retirees to draw their PERS retirement while serving in the Mississippi Legislature. The board took this action after the IRS declined to issue a private letter ruling in support of the policy change, a ruling the board considers necessary to

It is our understanding that school districts were notified on Tuesday that they will receive some state funds in time to process payroll for July. However, they still have no budget for the year, and the amount of funding schools will receive for July is unlikely to be the amount they are owed. Here’s why… Yesterday,

U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos is playing hardball in her scheme to take millions of dollars away from our neediest public school children and give them to our state’s wealthiest private school students.  These are federal CARES Act funds that were sent to public schools according to the Title I formula, meaning public school districts got

Last Thursday, we reported to you that Gov. Reeves had created an unnecessary crisis by vetoing funding for public schools with the start of school just weeks away. Recent events have caused speculation that the veto was a politically motivated stunt, after the governor’s initial explanation was proven baseless. Here’s what we know (and what

Late last night, Gov. Tate Reeves vetoed almost all funding for public education in the K-12 appropriation bill, leaving school districts with no budget – and no way to pay teachers – at the worst possible time: with the fast approaching start of a school year brimming with unprecedented challenges.  Among the sections the governor struck

The Legislature wrapped up its work on general and appropriations bills and has gone home for the time being. They will return as necessary to handle issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic.  The state budget presented more than the typical challenges as lawmakers grappled with less revenue and greater needs – both a result of