We hear you! Believe us, you are not alone. We have never received more calls, texts, and social media messages about an issue. Parents, educators, and public school supporters are horrified that legislators would consider rushing through a bill that is so detrimental to our children and their public schools.
If you are home today, you can watch the House debate on HB 957 at 2:00 p.m. online: http://www.legislature.ms.gov/Pages/Web-Cast.aspx.
In the meantime, ask all of your friends and relatives to call their representatives about this bill.
Ask your representative to vote NO on HB 957 and go back to the drawing board.
Find contact information for legislators (search by school district).
Capitol Switchboard: 601.359.3770
Share the same message with Speaker Gunn. Capitol: 601.359.3300
Facts about HB 957:
• It provides $150-million less for the year 2025 than the MAEP requires for next year
• 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
• There is no guarantee that this bill will ever be fixed in the future – it will take an agreement from both the House and Senate to fix it, and that is unlikely
This is the one shot the House of Representatives has at a rewrite of our school funding law. HB 957 will be devastating to public schools, and it will be their legacy.
Please call your representative and Speaker Gunn in the next hour, and watch the debate online. It will be telling. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your support of our children and their public schools!
