Today, the Mississippi Senate and yesterday the Mississippi House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed HB 4130, a Mississippi student funding formula based on the needs of individual students. This legislation repeals the outdated Mississippi Adequate Education Program (MAEP) and creates a new weighted student funding formula to allocate tax dollars to public school districts based on the characteristics of students within each district. School districts will receive additional funding for students with special needs and those living in poverty.
Grant Cullen, founder and CEO of Empower Mississippi, praised the passage of this important legislation, saying:
“HB 4130 is a transformative step that will ensure Mississippi funds students, not the system. We believe that all students should have access to an education that meets their needs. , has long advocated for a system of public education funding focused on meeting the needs of individual students, including eliminating the deeply flawed MAEP formula. .
Public schools are an important option for families and play a vital role in our communities. Hundreds of thousands of Mississippi students choose to attend their local public schools each year, and it is imperative that we have a world-class public education system. While this change alone will not ensure that all children have access to good schools, it is an important step in the right direction. Lawmakers must continue to fight to ensure that funding reaches the students it supports and that students can choose to attend the schools that are best for them.
We applaud the legislators who passed this landmark legislation and look forward to continuing to work with state leaders to advance meaningful education policy. ”
Click here for the full press release: Funding Formula Press Release
