Mississippi lawmakers will be able to say they “fully funded” public education while spending about $90 million less than what the current law calls for if a Senate proposal to change the formula for calculating what “full funding” means becomes law.
Lawmakers in the Mississippi Legislature have mere hours left to reach a compromise on plans for a teacher-pay raise. In January, the Senate and House each passed bills that would raise pay for the state’s teachers by thousands, but with key differences.
Every Black member of the Mississippi Senate walked out today as their white colleagues voted to approve a bill that Republicans have described as legislation to prevent so-called “critical race theory” from being taught in schools.
Educators would experience yearly pay raises and significant boosts every five years under a new proposal Mississippi Senate leaders unveiled Monday. Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann, the Senate president, announced the plan alongside Senate Education Committee Chairman Dennis DeBar, R-Leakesville.
Speech-language deficits are the most common childhood disability, affecting around one in 12 children. Without treatment, speech-language problems can lead to behavioral challenges, mental-health problems, difficulty reading and academic failure. The Magnolia Speech School is a nonprofit school established with a mission to help children with communication disorders develop their potential through spoken language and literacy. The program takes kids as young as 1 year old up to age 13.
The Mississippi Lottery Corporation raised $80 million for state highways and almost $59 million to support public education during its first full fiscal year. The education funds will go to the state’s Education Enhancement Fund, which supports the Early Childhood Learning Collaborative, which is a state-funded pre-K program, and the Classroom Supply Fund.
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves is calling for the Legislature to cut funding for school districts that are not offering in-class instruction after the worst week for school outbreaks yet.
Mississippi’s public schools “would be miles ahead of where we are now” in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic “had schools not been dreadfully underfunded,” The Parents’ Campaign Executive Director Nancy Loome says, days after the Legislature overrode the governor’s funding veto.
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