The general bills that have survived thus far have passed the chambers in which they originated and must now be approved by the opposite body. Each chamber has passed some bills that we support, and other bills remain that would be harmful to public schools. We need your help to ensure that the bad bills die and the good bills make it across the finish line.
These bills would harm public school children and teachers:
• HB 1192 allows a for-profit virtual school company with abysmal academic results to operate schools in Mississippi. Passed the House; goes to Senate Education and Appropriations Committees. VOTE NO
• HB 1453 eliminates the MAEP; includes no objective formula for the base student cost, allowing the Legislature to decide how much funding schools need; is being pushed by voucher supporters. Passed the House; goes to Senate Education and Appropriations Committees. VOTE NO
• SB 2332 was amended by the House to remove the original Senate language and replace it with HB 1453, meaning it is now a harmful bill; eliminates the MAEP; includes no objective formula for the base student cost, allowing the Legislature to decide how much funding schools need; is being pushed by voucher supporters. Passed the House; goes to Senate for concurrence or non-concurrence. DO NOT CONCUR
These bills would help public school children and teachers:
• HB 765 allows the Mississippi Critical Teacher Shortage Act to remain as law by extending the repeal date and expands the Winter-Reed Teacher Loan Repayment Program. Passed the House; goes to Senate Education Committee. VOTE YES
• SB 2682 allows the Mississippi Critical Teacher Shortage Act to remain as law by extending the repeal date and expands the Winter-Reed Teacher Loan Repayment Program. Passed the Senate; passed House Education Committee; goes to House Appropriations Committee. VOTE YES
• SB 2685 allows retired teachers to work full time in critical shortage areas while receiving PERS benefits. Passed the Senate; passed House Education Committee; goes to House Appropriations Committee. VOTE YES
This bill has strong potential:
• HB 1823 is the P-12 appropriation bill, which provides a substantial increase in funding for school districts. We enthusiastically support this increase, but the bill is problematic in that it directs the funding to the flawed INSPIRE program created in HB 1453. That program removes the MAEP from law and provides no objective mechanism for determining school district funding, leaving it to the Legislature to determine the level of funding school districts need. Passed the House; goes to Senate Appropriations Committee. SUPPORT FUNDING PUBLIC SCHOOLS AT THE LEVEL PROVIDED IN HB 1823 USING AN OBJECTIVE FORMULA
Capitol Switchboard: 601.359.3770
Speaker White: 601.359.3300
Lt. Gov. Hosemann: 601.359.3200
Your voice makes such a difference – please give your legislators a call today!
We’ll keep you updated on these bills, and you can check their status at any time on our bill tracker. Please share this update and invite others to join us as we work to strengthen public schools for all Mississippi children.
Our children are counting on us, and together, we’ve got this!
