The Mississippi Legislature will return to Jackson tomorrow (Wednesday) at 11:00 a.m. to finalize the state budget. The special session agenda, which the governor sets, includes only budget bills related to core functions of government, though Gov. Reeves has the prerogative to add issues to the agenda while the Legislature is in session. Watch the livestream of the special session here.
The annual budget will have a tremendous impact on the quality of education provided our children.
Ask your legislators to make sure that the final budget includes full funding for our public schools and maintains at least the current level of funding for pre-k and our nationally-renowned literacy effort!
FIND CONTACT INFORMATION FOR LEGISLATORS
Speaker White: 601.359.3300
Lt. Gov. Hosemann: 601.359.3200
Mississippi’s public school teachers and students have shown that they provide, hands-down, the best return on investment when it comes to our public funds, doing more with less than those in any other state. Recent national test scores confirm this. While Mississippi continues to struggle in many measures of well-being, our public schools currently enjoy these national rankings:
- 9th in the nation in Grade 4 Reading
- 16th in Grade 4 Math
- 35th in Grade 8 Math
- 41st in Grade 8 Reading
- Mississippi’s African American 4th-graders rank 3rd in the nation in reading and math among African American students in all states
- Mississippi’s Hispanic 4th-graders rank first in the nation in reading and second in math among Hispanic students in all states
- Mississippi’s economically disadvantaged 4th-graders rank first in the nation in reading and second in math among economically disadvantaged students in all states
While Mississippi’s achievement has been on an upward trajectory for decades, states that have implemented vouchers and other “school choice” measures have seen their national test scores decline.
We promise to keep you posted as the Legislature moves through the special session and we learn more about the budget bills – and watch for any additions to the session agenda. Meanwhile, please reach out to your legislators and let them know that you stand ready to give them the support they need to adopt a state budget that will keep our public schools – and Mississippi – strong. Our children are counting on us, and together, we’ve got this!
