MS legislative records: on Education

Chris McDaniel: Increase number of charter schools statewide

• Establishes an independent 7-member Mississippi Public Charter School Authorizing Board to supervise public charter schools
• Authorizes public non-charter schools to apply to become public charter schools
• Prohibits private schools from becoming public charter schools
• Requires public charter schools' enrollment composition of "underserved students" to be proportionally at least 80% of that in the school district in which the charter schools are located
• Exempts at most 25% of teachers in a public charter school from being state certified when the initial charter application is approved and are required to have completed an alternative teacher certification within 3 years
• Requires paying the public charter schools an amount for each student equal to the share the department would pay the school district in which the student resides.

Chris McDaniel: Opposed restoring budget cuts to Adequate Education Program

Summary by Jackson Free Press (4/21/10) SB 2688 increased funding for the Mississippi Adequate Education Program formula while Gov. Haley Barbour sought to cut the entire state budget by $79 million, including MAEP.

Veto message from Governor Haley Barbour: "Senate Bill 2688 virtually guarantees tax increases by future legislatures. Spending now and taxing later is bad fiscal management, and unfair to taxpayers. SB2688 also fails to adequately restore funding for the Department of Corrections [who] will be forced to release thousands of prisoners to balance its budget."

Legislative outcome:Passed House 106-14-2, 2/11/2010; Passed Senate 26-22-3, 2/18/10; Sen. Chris McDaniel voted NO; Vetoed 2/24/10.

Cindy Hyde-Smith: Opposed restoring budget cuts to Adequate Education Program

Summary by Jackson Free Press (4/21/10) SB 2688 increased funding for the Mississippi Adequate Education Program formula while Gov. Haley Barbour sought to cut the entire state budget by $79 million, including MAEP.

Veto message from Governor Haley Barbour: "Senate Bill 2688 virtually guarantees tax increases by future legislatures. Spending now and taxing later is bad fiscal management, and unfair to taxpayers. SB2688 also fails to adequately restore funding for the Department of Corrections [who] will be forced to release thousands of prisoners to balance its budget."

Legislative outcome:Passed House 106-14-2, 2/11/2010; Passed Senate 26-22-3, 2/18/10; Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith voted NO; Vetoed 2/24/10.

Haley Barbour: Opposed restoring budget cuts to Adequate Education Program

Summary by Jackson Free Press (4/21/10) SB 2688 increased funding for the Mississippi Adequate Education Program formula while Gov. Haley Barbour sought to cut the entire state budget by $79 million, including MAEP.

Veto message from Governor Haley Barbour: "Senate Bill 2688 virtually guarantees tax increases by future legislatures. Spending now and taxing later is bad fiscal management, and unfair to taxpayers. SB2688 also fails to adequately restore funding for the Department of Corrections [who] will be forced to release thousands of prisoners to balance its budget."

Legislative outcome:Passed House 106-14-2, 2/11/2010; Passed Senate 26-22-3, 2/18/10; Vetoed by Gov. Barbour 2/24/10.