Tennessee Vouchers – Performance Far Behind Public School Peers Four years into Tennessee’s voucher program, voucher students remained far behind public school students in Math and English Language Arts (ELA). Only 17% of private school students participating in the voucher program met or exceeded Math proficiency expectations on state assessments, compared to 40% of public
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Speaking with someone who is interested in running for legislative office? Use the questions below as a guide to evaluating their support for public education and their viability as a candidate. Candidates in the 2027 statewide election must qualify by February 1, 2027. Print PDF √ What are the potential candidate’s positions on important public
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Impact of School District Consolidation on Student Achievement in Mississippi (2019), Jackson State UniversityA review of school district consolidations in Mississippi showed that standardized test scores were lower across most language and math proficiency levels four years following consolidation. The test score decreases were statistically significant. Effects of School District Consolidation in Arkansas (2021), University
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Several local governing boards in Mississippi have passed resolutions opposing school choice and urging legislators and state leaders to oppose school choice policies. The following boards have passed resolutions in recent weeks: Clinton Board of AldermenFlorence Mayor and Board of AldermenJackson City CouncilLamar County Schools Board of TrusteesOxford School District Board of TrusteesPearl Board of
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The new Mississippi Student Funding Formula (MSFF), adopted by the Legislature in 2024 as the mechanism for funding public schools, begins with a base student cost that is determined by an objective formula which has four components: Instructional – Calculated by dividing Mississippi’s average teacher salary (includes local supplements) by the average number of students
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Passed by the Mississippi Legislature in 1997 (see history below), the Mississippi Adequate Education Program (MAEP) served as the funding mechanism for public schools until it was replaced in 2024 by the Mississippi Student Funding Formula (MSFF). The MAEP provided a formula designed to ensure an adequate education for every Mississippi child — whether that
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In the 2024 Legislative Session, the House proposed a plan to strike the Mississippi Adequate Education Program (MAEP) from law and replace it with Investing in the Needs of Students to Prioritize, Impact and Reform Education (INSPIRE), via House Bill 1453. The INSPIRE plan includes no objective formula for determining base student cost, allowing the
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In the 2024 Legislative Session, the Senate proposed amendments to the Mississippi Adequate Education Program (MAEP) via Senate Bill 2332. These amendments include adjustments to the inflation component that were put forward but not enacted in 2023. SB 2332 amends the MAEP to increase the maximum amount in local contribution that wealthier school districts must
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During the Barbour administration, legislators made a change to the school funding law that calls for a full recalculation of the MAEP base student cost only once every four years, instead of annually as the original statute required. In the intervening years, the amended law calls for the MAEP full funding amount to be determined
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Despite myriad challenges, Mississippi’s fourth graders have for more than two decades outpaced the U.S. average in improvement in national reading scores. This steady growth means our students now rank 21st in the nation in fourth-grade reading; Mississippi students living in low-wealth households rank 2nd in the nation when compared to low-wealth children in other
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