Jackson — Being at or near the bottom in the nation when it comes to education used to be a fight between Arkansas and Mississippi.
Mississippi officials said on Wednesday that their neighboring state is now ahead of them when it comes to making gains on the education front.
“I’m worried that Arkansas is going to leave Mississippi in the dust,” state Board of Education Chairman William Jones told a panel of Mississippi lawmakers. “To catch up, we must double up.”
Jones appeared with state Superintendent of Education Hank Bounds to make a pitch for next year’s budget funding. The budget request for K-12 public education is $184 million more than was received in the current fiscal year that began July 1.
The money will go toward increases in the state’s school funding formula, Mississippi Adequate Education Program; a 3 percent teacher pay raise, and continued work on an ambitious plan to redesign the state’s high school system, among other programs.
Bounds said the estimated base student cost for the state is $4,753 — hundreds of dollars less than what’s spent in neighboring Alabama, Louisiana and Arkansas. He told lawmakers to look at Arkansas if they want an example of a state that has taken strides to improve education through investment.
Bounds said Arkansas is ahead of Mississippi in teacher salaries and per pupil spending. Those changes in Arkansas didn’t come about until a lawsuit was filed against the state over its school funding, said Arkansas Department of Education spokeswoman Julie Johnson Thompson.
After the 2002 ruling in the lawsuit, the state revamped its funding formula to take into consideration other factors at school districts, such as poverty or the percentage of non-English speaking students. The base cost Arkansas spends per pupil is $5,789.
Thompson said as Arkansas is putting millions more into the system, officials are demanding more accountability from the districts, including a requirement that high schools teach a set of 38 core courses.
“The state’s tried to make sure that there’s enough money at each school building and school district that children have the same access to a quality education regardless of where they live in the state,” Thompson said. “We are getting good results. We’re seeing our test scores climb on standardized tests and our state benchmarks.”
Another bragging right is last year’s recognition by U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings, who cited Arkansas and Massachusetts as two states to watch for education advancements, Thompson said.
“When Arkansas, the state that stays in the cellar with us, is beating us on statistics, then we have a long way to go,” said state Rep. Steve Holland, D-Plantersville, a member of the Joint Legislative Budget Committee that’s been fielding funding requests from agencies for the past two weeks.
Mississippi’s average teacher salary of $40,182 is below the southeastern average of $45,108. Bounds said the salary is one of the reasons the state is short 2,113 teachers. The state recently adopted more rigorous assessment tests that are comparable to the National Assessment of Educational Progress that sets the national standard for states.
“Clearly we have made great progress around teacher pay over the past five or six years, but arguably, now is not the time to backup,” Bounds said.
He said fully funding the MAEP program is estimated to cost the state nearly $61 million more than was budgeted for the current fiscal year. Many lawmakers have said that MAEP has kept Mississippi from being sued over how school districts receive funding.
MAEP was put into state law in 1997 and phased in over several years. It’s meant to ensure all school districts receive enough funding to meet midlevel accreditation standards.
The program hasn’t always been fully funded by lawmakers, but Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant said there’s a desire to do it in the upcoming session. However, he cautioned that it’s still early in the budget process. The 2009 Legislature convenes in January.
Bryant said Mississippi’s estimated revenue growth is 2 percent, about $100 million, but agencies have made $1.2 billion in budget requests.
“Let’s be realistic,” he said.
Local News
Education chief: Arkansas leads Miss. in spending
- Local News
-
-
MRI INSTALLED
This $1.2 million Magnetic Resonance Imaging equipment was installed at the new location of Highland Community Hospital.
-
Hall suspected of robbery after escaping
A man who escaped from jail after attending his father’s wake is suspected of having carried out an armed robbery on the Texas-Arkansas state line. Johnny Hall escaped from Mississippi Department of Corrections custody on Friday while attending his father’s wake in Picayune.
-
City Hall expansion groundbreaking held
A groundbreaking ceremony was held Tuesday at the construction site for the expansion of the historic Picayune City Hall. “You can see our future when you look down Goodyear Boulevard. You see Chimney Square, our high school, The Link at First Baptist Church, Jack Read Park and then our historic City Hall.
-
PRC athletic director says he’ll recommend random drug testing
Pearl River Central athletic director Andy Kivlan told the school board at its Monday night meeting that he will most likely recommend that students participating in extracurricular activities, including band and ROTC, be subject to random drug screening.
-
Supervisors adopt resolution encouraging more economic development in South Miss.
Following a short presentation by State Sen. Tony Smith (R-Picayune), the board of supervisors adopted on Monday a resolution encouraging state officials and agencies to exercise “fairness and parity” regarding location of new industries in Mississippi.
-
MDEQ wants comprehensive waste disposal plan from county
The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality has told Pearl River County it wants a comprehensive waste disposal plan for the county. Supervisors indicated at their Monday meeting that they are not happy with the request.
-
Police: Powell planned deadly fire for some time
Josh Powell planned the deadly house fire that killed him and his young sons for some time, dropping toys at charities and sending final emails to multiple acquaintances before the blaze, authorities said Monday.
-
Bar fight ends in man being run over
A bar fight Friday morning resulted in one man being run over by the other with a pickup truck.
The fight was reported to Picayune Police officers Friday morning at about 1:44 at the American Legion Hall on Union School Road, said Capt. Chad Dorn. -
Arson suspected at possible murder site
Pearl River County Sheriff’s Department investigators suspect arson was involved in a structure fire that occurred at a home where James Raine was killed last year.
The home at 24 Emma Lane was the scene of what investigators believe was the murder of the 37-year-old Raine in October, 2011. -
Inmate escapes leaving father’s wake
Johnny Hall Jr., 30, escaped from Mississippi Department of Corrections custody Friday afternoon while attending his father’s wake in Picayune.
- More Local News Headlines
-
Man Killed in Courthouse Shootout
Video of Ga. Man Who Killed Girl Released
Air Force Airlines: Leaders Get Polished Service
Ga Girl Fights Off Kidnapper at Walmart
Nevada Highway Patrol, City Settle Beating Case
White House Attacks Romney on Birth Control
Homs Bombardment Continues, Global Outcry Grows
Mo. Teen Gets Life Sentence for Killing Girl, 9
Lower-hassle Screening to Be Tested at Airports
Raw Video: Dog Rescued From Icy Colo. Water
Helmet Camera Captures Calif. Fire Rescue
Worker Tells 911: Powell 'exploded the House'
Triple Win: Santorum Takes Minn., Mo., Colo.
Injured Marine Inspired by Homecoming
No Rape Charges Against Son of NYPD Commissioner
Egypt's Ruling Generals Play Risky Game With US
Former Komen Exec Defends Funding Cut
Skip the Coffee Cup and Inhale Your Caffeine Fix
Calif. Gay Marriage Ban Ruled Unconstitutional
Jury Selection for Ex-UVa Athlete Enters 2nd Day
