How about that? Taxpayers spoke, and legislators listened!
Today, the tax-cut bill that would have eliminated $555-million from state coffers and made it nearly impossible ever to fully fund the Mississippi Adequate Education Program (MAEP) died in the House of Representatives, thanks to 52 representatives who chose our children over tax cuts. See that vote here.
Our children, and we parents, owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to these courageous women and men who stood up to the massive corporate lobby to ensure fiscal stability for our state and at least a glimmer of hope that our public schools might one day be adequately funded.
We still have work to do. Today, in an interview with Mississippi Public Broadcasting, House Education Chairman John Moore and Governor Phil Bryant indicated that hope remains for better MAEP funding in this year’s budget bills. Other important bills that need our full attention remain on the calendar for further action.
Reach out to your legislators and let them know about the great things happening in your schools that merit their support. Help them understand what better funding could mean for students in your community. If you or a friend have a third-grader who is threatened with unwarranted retention based upon one high-stakes reading test, share that story, too.
We need for our legislators to partner with us as we work to ensure that our children have all the resources, support, and tools that they need to compete well with their peers in other states. I believe it is possible.
If you haven’t liked the Fed Up with 50th and Mississippians for Public Education Facebook pages, look them up. I think you’ll appreciate what you see – moms and dads like you and me who love our kids and want what’s best for them, speaking up for public schools. Lots of folks are stepping up in support of Mississippi children, and that is a blessing!
Thanks so much for doing your part this week by saying “no thanks” to a tax cut until our public schools are fully funded. Defeating that effort was an important victory. Let’s go for a few more!
