Education Funding Changes Approved

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) – Senators passed two bills Wednesday that would affect the Mississippi Adequate Education Program. Both bills were amended and are headed to final negotiations

The Senate passed House Bill 1530, which would create a uniform formula for calculating school attendance.

It also passed House Bill 138, which would require the state to recalculate the base student cost of the MAEP formula annually. Currently, that cost is calculated every four years.

Senator David Blount, a Democrat from Jackson, says he supports a uniform standard for calculating attendance, but argues it should be based on educational concerns rather than budgetary concerns.

MAEP is a formula designed to give schools enough money to meet midlevel academic standards. It was put in law in 1997 but has rarely been fully funded.

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