Today the Mississippi Senate and yesterday the Mississippi House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed HB 4130, the “Mississippi Student Funding Formula”, that is based on individual student needs. This legislation repeals the antiquated Mississippi Adequate Education Program (MAEP) and creates a new weighted student funding formula for distributing tax dollars to public school districts based on the characteristics of the students within each district. Districts will receive additional dollars for students with challenges like special needs or students who live in poverty.
Grant Callen, Founder & CEO of Empower Mississippi, praised the passage of this important bill, saying:
“HB 4130 is a transformational step forward in ensuring that Mississippi funds students, not systems. We believe every student should have access to an education that meets their unique needs, and for years we’ve advocated for embracing a public education funding formula that focuses on meeting the needs of individual students. Critical to that was repealing the deeply flawed MAEP formula.
Public schools represent an important choice for families and play a pivotal role in local communities. Hundreds of thousands of Mississippi students choose to attend their local public schools each year, and it is imperative that we have a world class system of public education. This change alone will not ensure every child has access to a great school, but it’s a significant step in the right direction. Lawmakers should continue fighting to ensure dollars reach the students they are intended to serve and students have the choice to attend the best school for them.
We commend lawmakers for passing this landmark legislation and look forward to continuing to work with state leaders as we advance meaningful educational policies in the future.”
Click here for the full press release: Funding Formula Press Release
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