MS Legislature

Down to the Wire: Privatization Votes Coming in House and Senate

When you pray, move your feet.  It’s an old proverb that is among my favorites. Sometimes, the answer to a heartfelt prayer comes in a call to get up and do something – to be the vessel, the hands and feet, through which important works are done.  Mississippi parents are answering that call. They are moving their feet […]

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Some Bad News, Some Good News

Mississippi parents make my heart sing! My phone has been ringing and my inbox is full. Droves of Mississippi parents are asking, “What else can we do to make our legislators support our public schools?”  Hang in there, and don’t give up!  Tell ten of your friends how your legislators voted on bills in the last round,

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Legislators Play High Stakes Politics with Children’s Futures

In an incredibly irresponsible, politically-motivated move, the House passed a bill today that, if enacted, will ensure that our children will never receive adequate school resources. You can see your legislator’s vote here. HB 1629 removes 30 percent of state general fund revenue by eliminating the entire state income tax, phased out over the course of 15 years. The

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Florida’s Literacy-Based Promotion Act Provides Important Good Cause Exemptions That Mississippi Left Out

Mississippi lawmakers claim to have modeled Mississippi’s Literacy-Based Promotion Act after Florida’s, but Florida did not base its retentions on one test. The Sunshine State’s statute has a provision that leaves the final say with teachers, principals and superintendents, so long as they can back up their recommendations with evidence that the student in question

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House Passes K-12 Funding Bill, MAEP Shorted $201-million

Today, the House of Representatives passed the K-12 funding bill, HB 1536, on a unanimous vote with almost no debate. The bill under-funds the Mississippi Adequate Education Program (MAEP) by $201-million. HB 1536 provides an increase in MAEP funding of $107-million over last year, about half of which will go to cover the second phase of the well-deserved pay

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House to Vote on K-12 Funding that Shorts MAEP by $201M

The House is likely to vote on the K-12 funding bill this afternoon.  Here are the facts you need to know: An increase of $307.8-million would be required to fully fund the Mississippi Adequate Education Program (MAEP), not counting the pay raise for assistant teachers. The House is proposing an increase of $106.7-million in MAEP funding, $40-million

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Third-Grade Reading and Assistant Teacher Pay-Raise Bills Move to Senate

You are terrific! Both the third-grade reading gate bill and the assistant teacher pay-raise bill were moved forward today. They will now go to the Senate for debate. It is likely that the final bill we were watching, the bill to move from average daily attendance to average enrollment for the MAEP calculation, will be moved

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Three Critical Bills Need to Move Forward

Thank you, thank you for your faithful work on behalf of Mississippi children!  Tomorrow is a critical day for three important education bills that are still pending: the reading gate, assistant teacher pay-raise, and average daily membership bills. HB 745 holds harmless this year’s third-graders for the first-year results of a new high-stakes reading test. Without

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