Legislators explain next steps for ed bill

A new education funding formula passed in the Mississippi House of Representatives Wednesday and will move on to the Senate.

The bill, titled House

Bill 957, passed the

House 66-54, following several hours of discussion and debate. The new formula is a departure from the Mississippi Adequate Education Program (MAEP), and will be based on a figure of $4,800 per student, recommended by consulting firm EdBuild.

Amounts will be added to the $4,800 based on needs of certain groups of students, including special education, extraordinary students, students in poverty, English language learners and students who must travel a long distance to school.

Sen. Angela TurnerFord, D-West Point, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, explained the process the bill would face in the senate leading up to a vote.

“From there, it would actually be referred over to the Senate, and then referred to a committee, which I presume would be Appropriations and Education,” Turner-Ford said. “When it would be scheduled, I presume would be left up to the chairman, as far as when we would meet.”

Rep. Rob Roberson, R-Starkville, who serves as vice-chair of the House Education Committee, explained the next steps after the House receives the Senate’s version of the bill.

“They’ll get a chance to see it, amend it, vote on it,” Roberson said. “If they change stuff, we’ll go to conference if they invite conference or we invite conference, and we move forward with it that way.”

After going through the committees, the bill would go back to the House to have revisions made and the Senate’s concerns addressed before a Senate vote.

Turner-Ford said she was unsure when the Senate committees would meet, but said the Senate would not meet again until Monday.

She said she did not support the new formula, and would vote no as it stood. She also voiced support for a fully-funded MAEP.

“I’ve heard a lot of the concerns from various school administrators, teachers and even parents across the Senate district,” Turner-Ford said. “As I understand it, a lot of them have needs for additional resources, and that’s what I would like to see under any formula.”

Rep. Gary Chism, R-Columbus, a member of the House Education Committee, gave an account of the debate in the House.

“It’s a major piece of legislation and a major change, so there were just tons of questions

but they get to interact one on one with the customers and community they serve,” Prather said.

Prather said this is the first year the SOUPer Bowl will take place on Main Street, which will allow more restaurants to take part in the competition.

Brent Varner will provide live music, and Hobie’s on Main owner Hobie Hobart will emcee the event.

Prather said the first place, second place, third place and Best in Show winners will be announced at 1 p.m., and the winners will receive hand made bowls from Jilly Bean’s Pail of Paint.

This year’s SOUPer Bowl is also in conjunction with the FrostBite Half Marathon, 5K and 10K, presented by Starkville Chick-fil-A.

Frostbite race organizer Brad Jones said around 500 runners signed up for this year’s race, which will begin

at 9 a.m. Saturday and take place in downtown and Main Street Starkville. The awards ceremony will take place at noon.

Jones said this year’s race will raise money for the Starkville Fire Department.

“This year we are partnering with the Frostbite marathon,” Prather said. “This is a great opportunities to promote our local restaurants to the runners and their friends and family who are here in Starkville from out of town.”