Committee

Education; Appropriations

Author

Kent McCarty and Zakiya Summers

Session

2022 Session

Dead

HB 1246 would permanently raise the funding rate for Early Learning Collaboratives to $2,500 per child for full-day programs and $1,250 per child for half-day programs. Under HB 1246, the state legislature would also be required to increase, when the funds are available, the funding to Early Learning Collaboratives until 25% of Mississippi’s four-year-old children are served in the state. This would happen no later than the beginning of the 2024-2025 school year.

As it exists now, the Early Learning Collaborative Act of 2013 establishes an initial investment into state-funded pre-K and describes the potential phases of state-funded pre-K as it expands. The new language in the bill would ensure a broader commitment to the state’s children that moves beyond funding and focuses on serving a significant percentage of the state’s four-year-olds regardless of the cost. 

Currently, the law guarantees $2,150 per child for full-day programs and $1,075 per child for half-day programs.  The rate increase would account for the actual amount it takes to fund quality pre-K in Mississippi and would ensure that the state does not have to raise the rate every year through the budget bill as they did in the previous two legislative sessions.

On January 26, the House Education Committee passed HB 1246. The bill must now pass the House Appropriations Committee before going to a vote before the full House.

Updates
1/27/22 Update:
On February 1, the House Appropriations Committee passed HB 1246. It is now awaiting floor action in the House.

2/10/22 Update:
On February 10, the House passed an amended HB 1246 by a vote of 114-7. The amendment calls for Early Learning Collaboratives to ensure that Head Start programs—which are partners in collaboratives—receive an equitable distribution of any additional funds appropriated by the legislature, and that Head Start programs receive priority to enroll “all income eligible children” before other participating pre-K providers. These provisions will not impact the increase to the funding rate for Early Learning Collaboratives.

2/23/22 Update:
On February 23, the Senate Education Committee passed HB 1246 with a “strike-all” amendment. With the strike-all amendment, the Senate essentially wrote their own version of the bill, a process which will require the House to concur with the changes before the bill is sent to the Governor. 

The revised bill text is not currently available online, but based on discussions at the 2/23 Senate Education Committee meeting, the only real change appears to be a provision that clarifies that parents will have a choice in regards to where they enroll their children for pre-K. This clarification is in response to a previous amendment by the House that states that Head Start programs will receive priority to enroll “all income eligible children” before other participating pre-K providers. These amendments will not impact the increase to the funding rate for Early Learning Collaboratives.

HB 1246 is now awaiting action by the Senate Appropriations Committee.

3/3/22 Update:
On March 1, the Senate Appropriations Committee passed HB 1246, as amended by the Senate Education Committee. 

HB 1246 will now go to the Senate floor for a vote. If the Senate passes HB 1246, the House will have to concur with the amendments before the bill goes to the Governor’s desk to be signed into law.

3/10/22 Update:
The Senate failed to take action on HB 1246 by the March 9 deadline for passage of bills originating in the other chamber. The bill is now dead. There is a possibility that lawmakers may include the increased funding for Early Learning Collaboratives in the final budget, though this would only be on a one-year basis.