Word at the Capitol is that state funding for pre-k programs is at risk.
After adjourning the 2025 Regular Legislative Session without adopting a state budget, legislators now are hammering out final appropriations details before Gov. Reeves calls them back to Jackson for a special session, a call that is rumored to be coming later this month. Some legislative leaders involved in the negotiations reportedly are pushing to eliminate a significant portion of funding for school district-based pre-k programs. Mississippi’s high quality pre-k programs have been a significant factor in the incredible progress our state has made in student achievement. These academic advancements have won Mississippi numerous accolades nationally and have set our children on a path to success.
It is alarming and nonsensical that legislators would want to undermine the very programs that have contributed to the marvelous success of our public schools, which they frequently tout. Please reach out to your legislators and ask them to ensure that pre-k funding is protected in the final P-12 appropriations bill.
Ask your legislators to make sure that all pre-k funding is maintained at its current level or higher – no cuts!
Find contact information for legislators who represent your school district
Speaker White: 601.359.3300
Lt. Gov. Hosemann: 601.359.3200
Remember when legislators voted to eliminate the state income tax and insisted that plenty of revenue was available to meet all of the state’s obligations? Now, just weeks after pushing through that revenue reduction, they are threatening to slash state funding for our youngest learners – at a time when federal funding for public schools also is in jeopardy. It is critical that we protect this important pre-k funding.
A few days ago, Mississippi was recognized as one of only 10 states with pre-k enrollment growth exceeding 20 percent over the previous year. Why on earth would we cut the funding that produced such results?
Please pass along this information to others by sharing our posts on Facebook, Instagram, and X (formerly Twitter), and ask your contacts to call their legislators, as well. Our children are counting on us, and together, we’ve got this!
