JSU Cash Reserves Diminished

Jackson State University says it's cutting operating costs in light of revelations its bank account is dwindling fast. The college board revealed yesterday the university has enough cash reserves on hand for one week -- a drop of 89 percent from 2012. Glenn Boyce -- commissioner of higher education -- told reporters the shrinking of JSU's cash reserves is of great concern to the Institutes of Higher Learning board.

David Brooks At Ole Miss

Some Mississippians are casting their votes early for the next president. Others are waiting for election day on November 8. Until then, opinion leaders are making their views known and New York Times conservative op-ed columnist David Brooks was in Oxford yesterday speaking to University of Mississippi students. Correspondent Matt Kessler caught up with Brooks and asked him how this year's election compares to others he has covered.

Bringing Faith Leaders To The Mental Health Table

The state Medical Association says Mississippi is in a public health crisis. Reduced budgets and a steady need for health care have put many Mississippians at risk. This is true for mental health in the state as well. To help bridge this gap, mental health workers and faith leaders in the state are gathering to exchange ideas and tools today and tomorrow. The conference at Belhaven University includes workshops and panel discussions. We spoke with Bradford Smith about the issue. He says faith leaders have a strong desire to help with mental health in the congregations and beyond.

@Issue: MAEP

Republican legislative leaders want to re-examine the state’s education funding formula for public schools -- known as MAEP. They want to know if there’s a way to get more money into classrooms, twenty years after the formula was created. An out-of-state firm has been hired to look into retooling the formula. Tonight's @Issue on MPB TV examines the topic in depth. In this clip, Joyce Helmick -- head of the Mississippi Association of Educators -- tells Wilson Stribling, MAEP is probably a good formula -- but it has only been fully funded twice since it was created.