Update: MDE issued this statement this afternoon:
The preliminary estimate for school funding provided to the Mississippi State Board of Education in July, as required by state law, was based on data from the 2016 fiscal year. As stated at the Board meeting, the numbers are expected to change. The actual data needed to produce the final funding recommendation is required to come from the 2017 fiscal year, which will be available in October. The final recommendation will come to the State Board in December. When the final MAEP calculations are done, an independent audit firm verifies the accuracy of the calculations.
State Auditor Stacey Pickering issued the following statement.
On Wednesday, September 6, 2017, the Mississippi Office of the State Auditor released its FY 2019 preliminary estimate calculation of the Mississippi Adequate Education Program (MAEP).
In a letter addressed to legislative leaders and Governor Phil Bryant, State Auditor Stacey Pickering outlined his concerns over the accuracy of Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) data and stated that numbers from MDE and OSA did not corroborate. An error in the administrative component of MDE calculations caused a $732,757 discrepancy, undercalculating the amount necessary to fund MAEP.
Pickering also cited the differences in needs of schools across Mississippi and recommended the Legislature mandate an independently conducted study of these needs in each school district to provide proper education funds for all Mississippi K-12 students. Additionally, Pickering recommended that line item key expenditures be reinstituted in education budgets to increase transparency and encourage accountability in educational spending.
10 comments:
Ah well, it was inevitable. Mr. Pickering has finally sold out completely. He's supposed to be fine Christian man, but hey, he's running for Governor at some point. If his office merely did some data analyses of records (to see what's been manipulated) as well as interviews with thousands of faculty members (both K-12 and higher ed) - his "audit" would find discrepancies alright, in the form of grossly inflated enrollment numbers and attendance records. It's a fact. But nah, he has to look like he wants more funding for education to get elected to the next office. So very sad that billions are being squandered, but he's too spineless to actually upset that apple cart, and sadly he knows there's no way to recoup that money unless,......wait for it: Federal Audits by the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Inspector General!
@2:38 Grossly inflated enrollment numbers?
Does this mean I have to replace the "Fully Fund MAEP" bumper sticker on my '98 Volvo with one that says "Fully Fund MAEP + $732,757" now?
"....recommended a study in each school district..." Bullshit. And a bullshit recommendation. This was a topwater analysis and a nothing suggestion. A total revamp of our system of districts is the only thing that will be a reasonable beginning. And that will never happen.
Pickering needs to concentrate on things he is adequately able to handle; like people stealing from the water department in Toomsuuba or somebody failing to transfer funds properly over in Shangrila.
And, as always, if he wants to establish a meaningful legacy, he should get off his ass and spend a couple of months in Madison County. But he won't.
Isn't he due to head to Destin another time this season in the Campaign-Winnebago?
Exactly. He, Wicker and Hood are all being seen out and about more than they have been in four years.....useless and worthless they are. All three should be looking into the rectal abyss of every state agency in Mississippi for known, deliberate fraud going on, as well as the unknown, incompetent malfeasance of tax dollars - both state and federal, but they won't. This audit/report is meant to "look" like Pickering cares about education, and that he's doing something, when he's actually not. About time for us to see some more national guard duty Stacey?
Stacy needs to realize that K-12 education is not like Magic Kingdom or Epcot Center -- you aren't going to just snap your fingers and get a $300,000 salary for doing a lousy job ...
10:41pm But that is exactly what Stacey believes....and many others. Just snap your fingers and (if you know the right people to play ball with in this corrupt state of Mississippi) then you will in fact get a GIANT salary out of proportion to what you actually do on a daily basis.
@ 3:37pm The enrollments that are submitted are after certain mandated cutoff dates. Especially in n higher ed, it's a shell game and everyone's in on it. Each semester, hundreds of students will knowingly not be getting their financial aid as expected (late paperwork, etc.) and they won't even be notified, which is very upsetting to them, but their name will be on the enrollment for the semester....this has been done for the last decade across the state at most schools. Ask past VPs of registrar, directors of financial aid, and numerous others (who have since been shown the door) who were NOT willing to play ball. NO ONE is providing oversight. It's just all part of the Mississippi "Can I trust ya?" cult that permeates out of Oxford. Everyone knows it, but no one speaks for fear of retaliation. Pickering doesn't have guts or integrity he wants everyone to think he does. If he were the firm Christian, and dutiful man of military honor he likes to think he is, he would be demanding full out investigations, and not just pitiful little surface audits that win political points. The legislative Performance Evaluation and Expenditure Review (PEER) Committee didn't even operate/exist for almost ten years....what do you think state agencies did? Ran with the money while no one was looking.....everyone got fat since 2006.
MDE and the State Auditor's office come up with different numbers. Are you telling me one or both of these offices can't do math. Now that is rich. Believable too.
The State Auditor should be the one person in government that the rest of the people in government fear and hate the most. Sadly, it's an office that's often, as in the incumbent's case, used to try and attain higher office, so no rough stuff allowed. He'll bring down the chump change embezzlers but the real criminals - are you listening, Rudy? - go untouched.
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