- Lawmakers remain divided on changes to K-12 funding formulas, and a bill to change exam requirements for graduation failed.
With just a few weeks left in this year's legislative session, most bold attempts at education reform have either died or been put on life support. Let's look at the situation here.
K-12 funding
Funding for Mississippi's K-12 education system has been a back-and-forth battle this legislative session, with the House and Senate offering competing visions for how to allocate funding to students. There is. Each chamber is firmly committed to its own position.
Senate Bill 2332 would tweak the current Mississippi Appropriate Education Program (MAEP) to provide more funding and make some adjustments to how inflation is calculated, but would otherwise The procurement method would have remained the same. House Bill 1453 would create a new formula called the INSPIRE Act (INSPIRE). Both chambers rejected the other's bills and inserted their own formulas into the opponents' bills submitted for consent.
As of now, the Senate's revised MAEP plan is in HB 1823, and the House has included INSPIRE in SB 2993, the third attempt to gain Senate support.
No matter what happens, state Sen. Dennis Dever (R) said at least the education system will be equally funded while both legislative bodies resolve their differences before the 2025 session begins. He suggested that he was deaf. However, this also remains uncertain until sine die is called.
The Senate plan would increase total education funding by more than $200 million, while the House plan would increase education funding by $250 million.
Additionally, teachers could see further raises. The Senate proposal includes a $1,000 increase on top of a record pay increase that would be enacted in 2022.
Virtual classroom and modified calendar
Many school districts in Mississippi are finding it difficult to find enough teachers, especially for advanced and specialized courses that serve small numbers of students.
HB 1192 sought to expand Mississippi's virtual learning program to make it easier for school districts to bring virtual instruction outside of the classroom and adopt technology to bridge these gaps.
However, the Senate amended the bill to provide grants to districts that choose to move away from expanding virtual learning and instead switch to a modified calendar. This amendment would encourage public school districts to consider maintaining or implementing a modified school calendar by offsetting the costs associated with adopting a modified school calendar with a time-limited grant. The purpose is
The Senate amendment could make qualifying school districts eligible for grants of up to $250,000 a year for up to three years. The bill now returns to the Mississippi House of Representatives for consideration.
education savings account
Promoting universal school choice was a hot topic when the legislative session began in January, but no legislation to achieve it was passed this session.
Currently, the only families with access to education savings accounts are parents of children with special needs. Established in 2015, the program provides families with state funds that can be used at other educational institutions, including private schools, to provide students with the education that best meets their needs.
HB 1229 extends the availability of special needs ESAs until July 1, 2028.
Applicable cases include when a child cannot access special education classes in a public school. These funds can be used by families to pay tuition to applicable educational institutions and to cover tutoring, textbooks, curriculum fees, and other educational expenses.
The bill still stands, with the Senate taking final action last week when it passed its own amended version by a vote of 48-3.
failed school district
Currently, as part of the Mississippi Department of Education's rating system, school districts that consistently receive an F rating for two consecutive years are placed in a category called “Transforming School Districts.” If the governor declares a state of emergency for a school district, those schools will be placed under state control.
When a school district becomes a transformation district, the state's recovery district takes over decision-making authority from the school board and the current superintendent.
HB 1696 would expand that system to include school districts that receive continuous D grades.
Under the bill, any school district that earns an F score for two out of three years under the state's educational accountability system, or a D or F for four consecutive school years, would be eligible for takeover. This also includes school districts where more than 50% of schools are bankrupt.
HB 1696 removes the current requirement that the governor declare a state of emergency for the district. In addition, the Recovery School District would be replaced by the State Board of Education as the governing body for failing school districts.
Local control of a district will be returned if it receives a score of C or higher for three consecutive years.
A companion bill from the Senate, SB 2693, also advances this process. Last week, the Senate adopted a walkout on HB 1696 by a vote of 52-0, inserting its own language from SB 2693.
Do not continue with the ACT for year-end testing.
Before high school students can walk across the stage to receive their diplomas, they must take a variety of end-of-course tests, including a series of subject matter proficiency tests administered between 11th and 12th grade.
SB 2689 proposed replacing these requirements with national certification tests such as the ACT or ACT WorkKeys.
The bill died this week after the Senate refused to convene or agree to amendments to the bill proposed by the House.
