This afternoon, a House committee passed a tax cut bill (SB 2858) that would reduce state revenue by $134-million next year through elimination of the 3% income tax bracket. If the state has $134-million to give away, then the state has $134-million to increase school funding. See what $134-million in additional MAEP funding would mean for your school district. Remind […]
Urgent: School Funding at Risk Read More »
The House of Representatives passed the school funding bill today. HB 1643 provides no increase in the Mississippi Adequate Education Program (MAEP), under-funding schools by $172-million, and cuts the overall K-12 budget by about $7.6-million. Nearly every state agency has its funding reduced in this budget, due to revenue shortfalls caused by years of corporate tax cuts. Each appropriation bill
House Passes School Funding Bill Read More »
The decisions legislators make on corporate tax breaks have a direct impact on the level of funding our children’s schools receive. Special legislative favors, to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars in tax breaks granted to corporations over the last few years, are shrinking state revenue. Legislators now propose to solve their self-created
School Funding Bill Passes House Appropriations Committee Read More »
This week we will get our first look at how legislators will respond to last November’s clarion call for adequate funding for our children’s schools. Hundreds of thousands of Mississippians will be watching closely. The House Appropriations Committee will meet tomorrow at 10:00 a.m.; the deadline for the House floor vote on school funding is next Wednesday.
School Funding Bill Coming Soon Read More »
Initiative 42 was a citizen-led effort to amend the Mississippi Constitution to give each child the right to an adequate public education. The amendment was defeated narrowly in the November 2015 state election. See certified election results. Post-election message from Nancy Loome “Yes for 42” video What is Initiative 42? Printable handouts Sample ballot See more on
Mississippi’s Legislative Budget Committee met Monday and made it official: the state isn’t taking in as much revenue as was estimated when legislators adopted this year’s budget back in the spring, so budget cuts could be on the table in the coming months. Why? Largely because of corporate tax cuts that the State Legislature has passed
Budget Cuts Possible Due to Corporate Tax Breaks Read More »
Thank you to the wonderful volunteers all across Mississippi who fought so hard for our children. You are my heroes! Although Initiative 42 did not pass, the vote was very close, despite voter confusion due to the intentionally convoluted ballot. There is all kinds of speculation about why the vote came down as it did. Here’s
Our children need your vote today – on Initiative 42 and for an education-friendly Legislature. Their futures depend upon it; can they count on you? Do you know how to mark your ballot in favor of Initiative 42? Two steps are required. First, you must vote to amend the constitution (FOR APPROVAL OF EITHER), then you
Our Children Need Your Vote Today Read More »
Many of us have had our mailboxes and living rooms flooded with deceitful ads that attempt to manipulate us with false threats and unfounded claims about Initiative 42. Here’s the truth – Initiative 42 does exactly what it says it does and nothing else. Take a look at the actual wording of the amendment on which you
Former Supreme Court Justice, Law Professors Set Record Straight on Init. 42 Read More »
Will Initiative 42 hand new authority to a judge? No, of course not! If you remember your high school civics class, you already know the answer. Judges have had the authority to rule on the constitutionality of any legislative action, including school funding, as long as Mississippi has been a state. Our system of checks and balances,
What’s all this about a judge in Hinds County? Read More »
