MAEP could be cut to fund other programs

                                   

Dear Norman,

The House and Senate are negotiating the K-12 funding bill for the next school year, deciding how much the state should invest in the education of our children. We need to make absolutely certain that our schools’ budgets are not cut any further. We cannot afford to move further backward!

While both chambers have passed versions of the appropriations bill that provide level funding (same as this year) for schools, there are murmurings at the Capitol that indicate that some are considering taking funds from the Mississippi Adequate Education Program (MAEP) appropriation to fund other initiatives.

Please call your senator and representative. Here are some things to be aware of as you discuss education funding with them:

• Mississippi’s General Fund revenue collections to date for this year are $132-million above the estimate on which this year’s budget was based. Click here to read more.

• The House and Senate have passed or are considering measures that give away millions of dollars in General Fund revenue by way of tax credits for corporations and other entities. Click here to see a list of bills that give away taxpayer dollars through tax credits.

• The House and Senate are negotiating bills that could increase significantly the requirements placed on schools and school districts – all of which will cost money. Unless these programs are adequately funded (outside of MAEP), they will be unfunded mandates on school districts which will drain resources from programs currently being offered in our schools.

• Refusing to fund an adequate education for our children should call into question the seriousness with which legislators are approaching education reform. If we want our students to achieve at the same level as the students in top-performing states and countries, we must be willing to do the things that have made them successful. Read more.

Ask your legislators to provide at least level funding for the MAEP plus the increase in retirement costs that districts will be required to pay – with no additional unfunded mandates.

Your legislators are:

 Rep. Bennett Malone     Personal:     Capitol: 601.359.4073

 Sen. Josh Harkins     Personal: 601.209.8448    Capitol: 601.359.2886

If your legislators are not listed above it is because we do not have your street address and zip code in our database. Click here to send it to us.

For the past five years, schools have been underfunded to the tune of $1-billion, resulting in crowded classrooms and reduced offerings in gifted, art, music, languages, and other elective programs. High quality professional development for teachers has also been a victim of budget cuts, as have intervention programs, reading coaches, and extracurricular activities. Budget cuts have diminished significantly the ability of our schools to provide a high quality education for our children.

Now that revenues are increasing, it is time to move closer to fully funding the MAEP – what state law says is adequate to provide a successful, or “C” level, education for our children (a quality level some have claimed is unsatisfactory).

This is a very important week for our public schools. Please make those phone calls today – ask your friends and family to call, too. It’s time for Mississippi to put our money where we profess our priorities to be – to provide great schools for all of Mississippi’s children and a brighter future for our state!

Many thanks,

Nancy 

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The mission of the Rankin County School District is to prepare every student with the cognitive and social skills necessary to be productive members of an ever-changing global society.

The mission of the Rankin County School District is to prepare every student with the cognitive and social skills necessary to be productive members of an ever-changing global society.

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