Video: Bryant Talks Economy, Education In State Of The State Address

JACKSON, Miss. (WCBI-TV) – Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant spoke Tuesday about the state’s successes in 2016 and commented on upcoming challenges in the State of the State Address in Jackson.

He touted economic projects and praised education accomplishments while highlighting the decrease in Mississippi’s unemployment rates over the past 13 years.

Bryant also addressed revenue and budget challenges. He stated that the state budget was lower when he took office five years ago. He says that gives context to his recent cuts.

“My first budget as governor in 2012 was $5.5 billion,” he said, adding that this year’s budget is 13 percent larger. “So any narrative implying draconian cuts in state service would simply be fake news.”

Bryant touched on education, saying he wants Mississippi’s public education system to be one of the nation’s finest, and the state may have to risk criticism to do that.

“Some self-appointed education advocate will appear in a pre-recorded message of opposition, claiming this Governor and the legislative leadership are somehow in conflict with public education. Nothing could be further from the truth,” he said.

He took some time to promote the possible changes to the way Mississippi is funding education. He says he’s in favor of the new plan unveiled earlier this week.

“I also eagerly anticipate modernizing the formula we use to fund public education, prioritize spending where the student gets the most good out of our investment,” he said. “This priority should be in the classroom, not at central office.”

Those comments follow a day Democrats spent voicing opposition to the new plans, saying they need more specifics on what a new formula would mean for individual districts.

Sen. Hob Bryan, D-Amory, says the goal of the current formula, which he helped write in 1997, was to take the burden off local taxpayers. He says the new plan will shift more of the cost to local taxpayers.

Categories: Local News

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *