MS Legislature

In a late afternoon meeting, the Senate Education Chairman proposed amendments to HB 890 that included language from a number of bills, a surprise move that left committee members scrambling to decipher the tremendous omnibus bill. The amendment includes the following: Charter Schools ·         Contains the for-profit loophole, allowing for-profits to manage charter schools ·         Gives A & B districts […]

The good news is that funding for the Mississippi Adequate Education Program (MAEP) will increase by $19.38-million for the 2012-2013 school year (Fiscal Year 2013). The bad news is that school districts will have to cover a $23-million increase in the employer’s share of the annual cost of the state retirement system. Therefore, schools will have about

You can see how your legislators voted on bills tracked by The Parents’ Campaign by clicking here. Bills of interest that passed during this session on which The Parents’ Campaign did not take a position include: HB 707, which affects the start date of school. This bill says that school may not begin before the third Monday in August. Because a

SB 2401, the Senate charter school bill, needs to be amended significantly by the House if it is to 1) provide children trapped in underperforming schools with a better education option, 2) improve student achievement, and 3) provide a good return on investment for taxpayer dollars.  Please continue to talk with your representatives about this

The UPSTART project is proposed in House Bill 1101. It is a “virtual” school bill for preschoolers. The bill appears to be written for the Waterford Institute, which has a program in Utah almost identical to that described in HB 1101.  The bill requires that the state (the MS Department of Education) provide free computers to any

The House Education Committee has passed an amended version of the charter school bill on a 14 to 12 vote. Debate was intense. Many committee members expressed deep concerns about the provision that allows virtual charter schools and about the financial impact that such a broad charter school bill could have on an already stretched public education system.  The

House Rules Chairman Mark Formby is proposing a change to the way that the Legislature debates appropriations bills.  The proposed change has serious implications for K12 funding. The proposed change would require that any legislator who, during floor debate, offers an amendment to increase an appropriation to an agency (such as education) include in the amendment an equal reduction to

For the current school year (2011-2012), the MAEP is underfunded by $237-millionFour consecutive years of budget cuts have resulted in: oThe loss of over 3,000 education personneloIncreased class sizeoReduced elective optionsoReduced advanced placement offeringsoReduced gifted classesoReduced intervention programs for struggling studentso Reduced extracurricular activities Though virtually every state leader claims to hold public education as a

A portion of a school district’s budget is made up of local ad valorem tax dollars (property taxes).  This is often referred to as the local contribution. Years ago, the Mississippi Legislature decided to offset a portion of the local ad valorem tax with state dollars.  The total state appropriation for Fiscal Year 2011 (2010-2011 school year)

House Action on HB1494House Bill 1494, the education funding bill, as it passed the House of Representatives, provided level funding (the same as this year) for Fiscal Year 2012. After the bill passed the House, it went to the Senate Appropriations Committee.  Senate Appropriations Committee Action on HB1494The Senate Appropriations Committee approved a strike-all amendment to the bill which cut