This morning, the House tabled the motion to reconsider the vote on HB 957 and sent the bill on to the Senate.
We know how disappointed you are, but this is far from a done deal! Word is that the Senate has seen how terribly flawed this legislation is and refers to it as the “oops” bill. We are counting on our senators to be the heroes our children need to put them on a level playing field with their peers in other states.
Please make sure your senator understands that this smoke-and-mirrors bill is very dangerous (see the facts below).
Ask your senator to vote NO on HB 957 and send it back to the drawing board:
Find contact information for legislators.
Capitol Switchboard: 601.359.3770
Share the same message with Lt. Gov. Reeves. Capitol: 601.359.3200
Facts about HB 957:
• It provides $150-million less for the year 2025 than the MAEP requires for next year
• EdBuild used faulty data to calculate the school district funding projections provided to legislators and the press
• The school district funding numbers being shown to legislators are for 2025, not next year – no school district wins with this bill
• School districts will get no increase for the next two years, according to the leadership
• Any gains will be phased in over seven years – our schools have never seen a string of seven-year funding this harmful
• Reduces the student count for district funding calculations by twice the absentee rate when a district has an absentee rate greater than 7% on unannounced auditor headcount days; Edbuild’s numbers assume that every district will have attendance at 93% or higher (read more)
Please be sure to thank those representatives who voted “NO” on this bill. You can see the vote here.
Grab your cape and make those calls! Let’s get this done for our kids. They are mighty lucky to have you in their corner.
