School Funding

Studies confirm that increased investments in public education lead to better student outcomes. States that spend more – and equitably – tend to enjoy higher achievement, while states that spend less see poorer outcomes.

For decades, Mississippi’s public school students have had their education funded at levels that are among the lowest in the nation; lower, even, than every single one of our closest neighbors: Arkansas, Alabama, Louisiana, and Tennessee. 

Official school funding data lag two years at the national level, to ensure an accurate apples-to-apples comparison of states. Therefore, it’s difficult to know exactly how Mississippi stacks up against other states in per-student spending since implementation of the impactful teacher pay raise adopted by our State Legislature in 2022 and the significant increases in school district funding appropriated for FY2024 and FY2025. What we do know is that each of our neighboring states also passed hefty teacher pay raises since 2022 and improved their school funding budgets, so Mississippi, though doing better, likely still lags behind.

Much of that under-funding has come at the expense of Mississippi teachers, who historically have been among the lowest paid in the nation. Low salaries contribute to a declining interest in education as a profession, and that has led to a teacher shortage crisis – which exacerbates all other challenges facing public schools.

The 2022 pay raise was helpful, but with inflation and rising health insurance premiums, teachers haven’t enjoyed much breathing room. And with other states upping the ante, Mississippi teachers continue to be lured away for better pay in districts across state lines.

Does more money guarantee better achievement? No. But every single thing that leads to better achievement costs money. Aren’t our children – and teachers – worth our investment?