During the most unique year in recent memory, the 2020 legislature proved its commitment to early education by ensuring per-pupil pre-K funding was enough to promote quality. Because the pandemic interrupted the session and sidelined many general bills, the 2020 legislature made the funding change directly in the budget bill. We were thrilled with this…
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This op-ed originally ran in the Clarion-Ledger on February 5, 2021. It was written by Toren Ballard, our director of K-12 policy at Mississippi First. Both current and aspiring public school teachers in Mississippi are increasingly faced with a dilemma: pursue a meaningful career educating the next generation of Mississippians–or earn a paycheck capable of…
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In December 2020, Congress passed a stimulus package containing a second round of both GEER and ESSER funds. This bill is referred to as the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2021 (CRRSA). In order for states to get their share of the funding, they must “…maintain support for elementary and secondary education and…
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Senate Bill 2305 Pending before the Senate is Senate Bill 2305, which would create a loan repayment program for new Mississippi teachers known as the “William F. Winter and Jack Reed, Sr., Teacher Loan Repayment Program.” The Winter-Reed Loan Repayment Program would incentivize recent college graduates to teach in Mississippi, particularly in a critical shortage…
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In 2020, the legislature decided to raise the per-pupil funding rate for collaboratives from $2,150 to $2,500. Because of the pandemic sidelined many general bills, our legislative champions did this directly in the budget bill. We were thrilled with this progress, but a change in the budget bill only lasts for one year. This year,…
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Jackson, MS—Today, Mississippi First released their newest report titled Nothing in the Pipes: Educator Crisis in Mississippi. In recent years, a new problem in a decades-old challenge has emerged: the number of new Mississippi teachers has sharply declined, exacerbating the teacher shortage and threatening the success of public education in Mississippi. This new report discusses…
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