A new education funding bill might still be a long way before becoming law.
With just a few days before legislators go home for the end of the session, next to no information on the timeline of an education funding rewrite has been released, which was expected to be the biggest issue of the session.
The 2017 session is scheduled to end April 2, but no new proposal to pay for education has been rolled out. That could mean lawmakers would be working against the clock if they proceed with efforts to vote before going home on a new plan to pay for education in the state.
Legislators are sending mixed signals about the timing of the revamp bill, with some saying a special session could come any day and some saying it will be delayed.
The worst thing about the MAEP revamp is that the public remains in the dark. With a bill of this magnitude all avenues of the public body should be involved in the decision process including superintendents, business leaders and parents.
In a similar stance the legislature did finally adopt a K-12 funding bill for the 2017-18 school year, reducing the funding for MAEP another $20 million. HB 1502 puts public schools statewide about $40-million below what they were appropriated this time last year, according to the Mississippi Parents Campaign.
I still am not 100 percent on what is the best avenue for a funding formula…aka, how much comes from the state and how much comes from local taxes. Too big of a shift would crush districts in poor areas, but too small of a shift doesn’t address the budget woes.
However, completing a formula revamp is vital especially for budgeting purposes. How can we expect a school district to adequately perform its job if it is constantly underfunded from the amount of money state law requires them to receive?
The legislature needs to hold public town hall meetings to meet with education supporters and come up with a formula that funds all districts in a way that benefits all of Mississippi.
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Joseph Brown is the editor and publisher of The Star-Herald. He can be reached at jbrown@starherald.net.
