From January to April each year when the Mississippi Legislature is in session, legislators wake up each morning with a single thought on their minds: Which powerless minority group can we punish today?
As you might imagine, sooner or later you run out of targets. This session they’ve had their fun with transgender kids and their parents, poor people in general and uninsured poor people in particular and the city of Jackson, where a spirited effort to create an apartheid system of government in the state’s blackest city appears to have come up just a bit short, but not for a lack of trying.
In the occasional lull in mean-spirited attacks on people they don’t like, the Legislature actually does something either doesn’t hurt anyone or — still rarer — actually helps, the latter happens most often in state election years such as this one.
When Senate leadership announced its plans to fully fund the Mississippi Adequate Education Program for the 2023-24 school year, the reaction around the state ranged from slack-jawed amazement to heightened skepticism (OK, what’s the scam here?).
The Senate Education Committee plans to amend House Bill 1369 which has already passed the House. In its present form, the bill is a minor piece of legislation affecting how student populations are calculated for school districts. The Senate plan is to amend the formula to “fully fund” MAEP by providing an additional $181 million for schools. That would mean an additional $15 million for our local school districts Lowndes County would get an additional $4.7 million; Starkville an additional $3.6 million; Columbus an additional $2.9 million; West Point, an additional $2.1 million and Noxubee an additional $1.9 million, Mississippi Today has published the full list of increased funding for state school districts
Since its passage in 1997, the legislature has fully funded MAEP just three times, most recently in 2008. Since that year, the legislature has short-changed Mississippi’s public schools by $3.3 billion, according to the public schools advocacy group, The Parents Campaign.
The massive infusion of federal COVID-related dollars into Mississippi has left the state flush with cash, at least for now. The old “we can’t afford to fund education” excuse won’t fly. How long the legislature will have the resolve to fund education according to its formula remains to be seen. The first economic hiccup might well return education funding to its step-child status.
Schools should be advised not to count their funding chickens just yet.
The amended bill, once approved by the Senate, will go back to the House for consideration, where the specter of Speaker Philip Gunn hangs over legislation like the Sword of Damacles. If The Grinch and Scrooge could procreate, Gunn is what you would get from that union — the meanest, most ruthless Christian this side of The Crusades.
Unlike Lt. Governor Delbert Hoseman, whose control of the Senate relies on his reelection in November, Gunn isn’t running again, which means there are no political calculations to consider.
It would be just like Gunn to stick it to public education in this state by killing the bill.
Think of it as a parting gift from Gunn.
Even if both chambers pass the bill, it could face a veto by Gov. Reeves, who released the following statement on Tuesday:
“Be very cautious of a last minute change in funding formula that seems to have unanimous support amongst Democrats in Senate and liberal activist groups. Very very cautious. Instead of funneling more money to the District offices — where our kids won’t see it — why not another teacher pay raise? Put it in the classroom!”
Reeves dishonesty is in full flower here. By law, MAEP funds go to operations including classroom materials and teacher pay. Not a red cent goes to district administration. Furthermore there are only 15 Democrats in the 52-member Senate. Reeves constant cry of “radical/liberal activists” is getting tiresome to the point of being pathetic.
Even so, Gunn and Reeves represent real threats to increased funding for our schools.
Slim Smith is a columnist and feature writer for The Dispatch. His email address is [email protected].
Slim Smith is a columnist and feature writer for The Dispatch. His email address is [email protected].
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