MS Legislature

All too often, in the halls of the state Capitol, the interests of voters are pushed aside while back room deals and political maneuvers determine the outcome of legislation. For example, in 2012, at the start of the last four-year term, the leadership pushed through a new rule in the House of Representatives that was […]

As noted last month, 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

Lawmakers are our voice at the Capitol – don’t stay silent. They are elected to represent us, but legislators cannot vote on behalf of our interests if we don’t tell them what we need and help them understand why we need it. Parents and educators all over the state are organizing Be Our Voice meetings in their school districts. Join

“As if my legislators have ever been my voice!” This was the frustrated retort of one of our members to a lawmaker’s claim that Initiative 42 would have eliminated her voice at the Capitol. It sums up well what we have heard from thousands of you: in too many cases, you do not believe that

Are you ready for a more education-friendly Legislature? We can elect one tomorrow! Heads-up: It is critical that you fact-check your candidates before you cast your vote. Some incumbent legislators who have voted consistently against better school funding are claiming in their campaign materials to support full funding of the MAEP. Compare the claims to their actual

Our children need your vote on Election Day, Tuesday, November 3. Before you head to the polls, be sure to check out the candidates’ answers to the tough education questions asked by our members – and take a look at incumbent legislators’ education votes! You can find all of that on our Election 2015 Candidate Q & A site. If

Just when did educating our children become a divisive, political issue? I have good news for you… it isn’t! Not among more than 64,000 parents, grandparents, and teachers in our network. Overwhelmingly, our members are fed up with the attempts by some politicians to pit our children’s best hope for a decent future – their

Yesterday, Dr. Carey Wright had good news for the Joint Legislative Budget Committee when she presented the K-12 budget request on behalf of the State Board of Education: Mississippi is getting a terrific return on its investment in our public schools! Teachers are doing amazing work in classrooms all over the state, and student achievement is continuing

Today and tomorrow, the Joint Legislative Budget Committee (JLBC) will hold a series of hearings that will set in motion the state budgeting process. Funding for our children’s schools through the Mississippi Adequate Education Program will almost certainly be hotly debated. The JLBC is a group of six House members and six senators appointed by the Lt. Governor and Speaker

The sample election ballot for Initiative 42, the school funding amendment, has been approved. As expected, the ballot is confusing. Not only does the ballot include a false fiscal analysis with which the leadership has admitted tampering, it also requires voters to jump through the hoops that the legislative leadership intended when it rammed through the alternative amendment last