This afternoon, the House passed HB 1453, the rewrite of the school funding law that omits the objective formula for determining the base student cost. See the vote here.
Some excellent arguments against the bill were made on the floor, and the bill was held on a motion to reconsider by Rep. Rosebud. During questioning, Education Vice Chair McCarty acknowledged that the base cost in HB 1453 was chosen using no objective formula and that legislators can change it at any time.
The following bills remain on the House calendar awaiting a vote. Please ask your representatives to VOTE NO:
• HB 867 imposes an extensive administrative burden on school districts by requiring that they report publicly the capacity in each grade of each school that is available for out-of-district transfer students. The bill allows students to attend schools in districts where they do not live and do not pay property tax, if the receiving district approves. VOTE NO
• HB 1192 allows a for-profit virtual school company with abysmal academic results to operate schools in Mississippi. VOTE NO
• HB 1449 creates a committee, with a majority of members appointed by voucher supporters, to determine whether Mississippi should adopt a vouchers-for-all scheme. VOTE NO
Capitol Switchboard: 601.359.3770
Speaker White: 601.359.3300
Lt. Gov. Hosemann: 601.359.3200
Ask your legislators to VOTE YES on these bills:
• HB 765 allows the Mississippi Critical Teacher Shortage Act to remain as law by extending the repeal date. VOTE YES
• SB 2332 makes minor adjustments to the Mississippi Adequate Education Program to increase funding for low-wealth school districts and reduce the inflation factor. VOTE YES
• SB 2682 allows the Mississippi Critical Teacher Shortage Act to remain as law by extending the repeal date. VOTE YES
• SB 2685 allows retired teachers to work full time in critical shortage areas while receiving PERS benefits. VOTE YES
• SB 2686 requires private voucher schools to meet the statutory requirements of the ESA voucher program in order to receive ESA funds; mandates that students be accepted by a voucher school before being added to the program’s waiting list. VOTE YES
Our bill tracker will provide updates on these bills as they move through the process. The House and Senate are moving through their calendars quickly, so please make those calls right away. Ask other public school supporters you know to call, too. Together, we’ve got this!
