Tuesday, March 7, 2023

Senate Proposes Fully Funding MAEP

Lieutenant Governor Delbert Hosemann issued the following statement. 

The Mississippi Senate unveiled legislation to fully fund the Mississippi Adequate Education Program (MAEP) and inject an additional $181.1 million into school budgets. 

 

The proposal comes on the heels of the largest pay raise in Mississippi history, a $240 million investment in education, which was enacted last Session and will be rolled into the formula this year.

 

“With conservative management, we have significantly cut taxes, trimmed state government, and paid off debt during this term. Mississippi is still in excellent financial shape. Now, we need to make sure our schools have the funds they need to provide our students with a world-class education,” Lt. Governor Delbert Hosemann said. “The most important resource we have in Mississippi is a child’s brain.”

 

At a joint meeting of the Senate Appropriations and Education Committees today, Senate Education Chairman Dennis DeBar explained three technical updates to the MAEP formula which would accompany the appropriation. These include updating the way the base student cost is calculated in non-recalculation years and changing the percentage cap on local contribution. Recalculation based on actual expenses occurs once every four years. 

 

Current law allows the Department of Education to increase the base student cost by an inflationary factor each year that is equal to 40 percent of the previous year’s base student cost multiplied by the annual rate of inflation.

 

Under the new proposal, in non-recalculation years, the inflationary portion would be determined by taking 25 percent of the previous year’s base student cost and multiplying it by the 20-year average annual rate of inflation, which equates to 2.5 percent this year. The first change reflects the actual amount of a district budget which is subject to inflation, which administrators have reported is about 20 to 25 percent. The second change provides a rate of inflation which is more reflective of the economy over time and helps lawmakers better predict increases to fully fund from year to year. 

 

The third change will adjust the amount of the required local contribution to the lesser of the value of 28 mills, which is current law, or 29.5 percent, rather than 27 percent, of the basic adequate education cost.

 

“When we started this term, we had a goal to conclude it by significantly raising teacher pay and fully funding MAEP. The technical amendments to the formula allow us to update its elements while leaving it intact,” DeBar said. “We are very proud of the Senate’s leadership, we are thankful for the input so far from members of the education community, and we look forward to working with the House to move legislation providing full funding to the Governor’s desk.”

 

Senate Appropriations Chairman Briggs Hopson agreed.

 

“Our announcement of this commitment to education is another milestone in a historic four-year term of the Mississippi Legislature. I am proud to have worked with Lt. Governor Hosemann, Senator DeBar, and others in pairing a massive financial investment with an updated equitable education funding formula that will ultimately benefit all of Mississippi,” Hopson said. “With the significant teacher pay raise from last year, other changes we have implemented over time—like the Third Grade reading test, and the hard work of our educators across the state, Mississippi is on the precipice of excellence in education.”

 

House Bills 1369 and 1613, the legislation which includes the technical changes to MAEP and the appropriation, now move to the full Senate for consideration.

 

For more information about Lt. Governor Delbert Hosemann, visit www.ltgovhosemann.ms.gov.

  

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

Throw money at it-

Anonymous said...

This is really disturbing

“The most important resource we have in Mississippi is a child’s brain.”

Anonymous said...

Isn't this what Musgrove championed for not so long ago and they gave him the finger?

Anonymous said...

9:15 AM, the organ trade is alive and well!

Anonymous said...

Teachers need and deserve more money. RIGHT NOW! What a thankless job. I wouldn't take care of the worthless pieces of crap being raised by the parents of today if it paid a million dollars a year!

Anonymous said...

Local school tax will increase also!

Anonymous said...

Follow the money, and it's not going to classrooms/teachers.

Anonymous said...

Nancy Loome going to deliver 10s of votes for Dilbert in August.....

Anonymous said...

If we " Fully Fund " education then shouldn't that mean that test scores will skyrocket and all schools will get A+ ratings?

Anonymous said...

All about Nancy Loome encouraging Democrats to cross over for Hosemann in the GOP primary.

Anonymous said...

@9:37 - ok, so where is it going? Be specific.

Anonymous said...

throws from the federal mardi gras inflation float

Anonymous said...

@9:37 - yes, accurately describe where, exactly, recent MAEP appropriations have been spent.

Anonymous said...

While I support more money in education far above sending money to the Ukraine.......it must be noted that the idea of education "not" being fully funded is a complete myth. To my knowledge, a district has never missed a bond payment, a teacher has never had a paycheck bounce, and if there is adequate support from the community via bonds, new buildings are built accordingly.

I support increasing the funding in education and decreasing the money sent to other people, but that argument could be made for a wide variety of groups, i.e., veterans, etc......

but don't get it twisted, education is and has always been......"fully funded"

Anonymous said...

@12:14 if "education is and has always been..... "Fully Funded"" Why do so many teachers have to buy their own supplies?

Anonymous said...

as a state employee this is a slap in the face; can't afford to fix the retirement system or give us a raise equal to inflation!!!

but teachers hell yes!!

Anonymous said...

@3:05 - you should have picked a better state to work for. There are countless people who have gotten the shaft working and living in this god forsaken state. Just because you may not be getting a pay raise, you think no one should get a raise? Life is tough, get over it. If you don’t like it, vote for someone else or move to a better place.

Anonymous said...

Ill-gotten gains, shame all around. Slop dem hogs!


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