Senate passes education plan, setting up debate with House

Senate Bill 2332 easily cleared the Senate, with only two lawmakers voting "present" and the rest approving the legislation. The bill would tweak The Mississippi Adequate Education Program, the formula that's been in place since 1997, but keep it intact. 

Senator Dennis DeBar, chair of the Senate Education Committee and the bill's author, says MAEP's objective formula for calculating funding levels provides stability for lawmakers and educators.  

“This provides some accountability for us as legislators, but it also provides stability,” DeBar said. “And it'll also allow superintendents and districts to know what they're getting roughly every year because we have an objective formula, which they can base that on.”

The House's INSPIRE Act would abandon MAEP for a new formula that increases student funding through weighted percentages added for factors like a student living in poverty. 

As the Senate was passing its plan, House Republicans held a press conference where they championed INSPIRE as a funding formula that's more equitable and easier to understand than MAEP.

During that presser, House Speaker Jason White, said he expects there will be a lot of debate on this issue as both chambers work to strike a deal. 

“We expect to hear from them and them to weigh in on our legislation, and we'll weigh in on theirs and we'll see where we get,” White said.” If they want a straightforward formula that puts more money into public schools, I think they'll take The INSPIRE Act very seriously.”

The House plan would increase education funding by $240 million while the Senate plan would increase it by $210 million.