School Accountability Dashboard Act; establish to provide parents with critical student performance data.

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To: Education
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026

By: Representative Grady

HOUSE BILL NO. 1234
(As Passed the House)

AN ACT TO ESTABLISH A SCHOOL ACCOUNTABILITY DASHBOARD FOR 1
MISSISSIPPI PUBLIC SCHOOLS TO PROMOTE TRANSPARENCY AND PROVIDE 2
PARENTS WITH CRITICAL STUDENT PERFORMANCE DATA; TO REQUIRE SCHOOL 3
DISTRICTS TO PUBLISH THE SCHOOL ACCOUNTABILITY DASHBOARD BEGINNING 4
WITH THE 2026-2027 ACADEMIC SCHOOL YEAR; TO SPECIFY THE TIMELINE 5
BY WHICH THE INITIAL AND SUBSEQUENT UPDATES TO THE DASHBOARD ARE 6
REQUIRED TO BE PUBLISHED; TO GRANT THE DEPARTMENT A ONE-YEAR 7
PERIOD TO IDENTIFY ANY RELEVANT DATA NOT CURRENTLY COLLECTED TO 8
DETERMINE WHAT SAID DATA IS AND INCLUDE IT IN THE DASHBOARD 9
BEGINNING WITH THE 2027-2028 SCHOOL YEAR; TO REQUIRE THE 10
INFORMATION IN THE DASHBOARD TO BE COMPILED INTO AN EASILY 11
ACCESSIBLE, USER-FRIENDLY SINGLE-PAGE GRAPHIC AND PUBLISHED ON THE 12
MAIN PAGE OF THE SCHOOL DISTRICT'S AND THE DEPARTMENT'S WEBSITE; 13
TO REQUIRE THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO ISSUE GUIDANCE AND 14
THE STANDARDIZED DASHBOARD TEMPLATE TO ALL SCHOOL DISTRICTS BY 15
AUGUST 1, 2026; TO REQUIRE THE SCHOOL ACCOUNTABILITY DASHBOARD TO 16
BE ALIGNED WITH THE STATE'S PERFORMANCE-BASED ACCREDITATION SYSTEM 17
AND PRESCRIBE THE MINIMUM DATA METRICS TO BE INCLUDED; TO AMEND 18
SECTIONS 37-17-6 AND 37-17-8, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, IN 19
CONFORMITY THERETO; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES. 20
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: 21
SECTION 1. Sections 1 through 4 of this act shall be known 22
as the "Mississippi School Accountability Dashboard Act". 23
SECTION 2. The Legislature finds that providing parents, 24
educators and communities with clear, comprehensive and accessible 25
school performance information enhances transparency, fosters 26
accountability and supports student success. Mississippi's 27
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performance-based accreditation system offers the foundation for 28
reporting this data. 29
SECTION 3. (1) (a) Beginning with the 2026-2027 academic 30
school year, all school districts shall publish their initial 31
School Accountability Dashboards by September 30, 2026. 32
Subsequently, districts shall provide an updated dashboard within 33
three (3) weeks of receiving their annual district accountability 34
rating as published by the State Department of Education in the 35
Mississippi Succeeds Report Card, and annually thereafter subject 36
to the three-week grace period of publication of the Mississippi 37
Succeeds Report Card. 38
(b) Except as otherwise provided in paragraph (c), the 39
data required under Section 4 of this act to be reported in the 40
dashboard shall be compiled into an easily accessible, 41
user-friendly single-page graphic and published on the main page 42
of the school district's and in a centralized database on the 43
department's website. Additional data included on a district's 44
accountability dashboard may consist of measures and statistics 45
the local school board believes to be relevant to the overall 46
performance of schools in that school district, which shall be 47
clearly distinguished from statutorily required reporting metrics. 48
(c) The department shall be granted a one-year grace 49
period to identify any relevant statistical data that is not 50
currently collected to be subsequently in all dashboard reports 51
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beginning with the published dashboards for the 2027-2028 school 52
year. 53
(2) The State Department of Education shall issue guidance 54
and the standardized dashboard template to all school districts by 55
August 1, 2026. The department shall develop a School 56
Accountability Dashboard website, that is independent of the 57
department's official website, which shall be administered 58
strictly for the purpose of providing detailed monthly reports of 59
actual revenue, receipts, expenditures and disbursements as 60
further provided in this section. In the development of School 61
Accountability Dashboard website, the department shall provide an 62
online tool for comparison of public school district budgets and 63
expenditures, in total and on a per-pupil basis. 64
SECTION 4. (1) The State Department of Education shall 65
develop and provide a standardized template for a School 66
Accountability Dashboard, which shall be aligned with the state's 67
performance-based accreditation system to ensure consistency in 68
reporting by all public schools and districts. 69
(2) Unless otherwise exempted under Section 3(1)(c) the 70
dashboard shall include, but not be limited to, the following 71
metrics: 72
(a) Schoolwide Metrics: 73
(i) School accountability letter grade; 74
(ii) School district accountability letter grade; 75
(iii) Graduation rate; 76
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(iv) Grade 8 reading and math proficiency and 77
growth; 78
(v) Grade 3 reading and math proficiency and 79
growth; 80
(vi) Truancy/absenteeism rate; 81
(vii) Dropout rate; and 82
(viii) Student-to-teacher ratio; 83
(b) College, Career, and Workforce Readiness Metrics: 84
(i) College placement rate; 85
(ii) Job placement rate; 86
(iii) Military placement rate; 87
(iv) Average ACT and ACT WorkKeys scores; and 88
(v) Specialty class offerings (e.g., advanced 89
placement, career-technical education, dual credit, industry 90
internships); 91
(vi) College and career-readiness index scores; 92
(c) Teacher and Staffing Metrics: 93
(i) Number of teachers with advanced 94
degrees/certifications; 95
(ii) Number of teachers with industry experience; 96
(iii) Teacher turnover rate; and 97
(iv) Number of long-term substitute teachers 98
utilized; and 99
(d) School fiscal accounting and expenditure reports. 100
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(3) After the initial submission of school fiscal data in 101
the School Accountability Dashboard by September 30, 2026, 102
required under Section 4(1), beginning October 15, 2026, and the 103
fifteenth day of each month thereafter, each school district shall 104
submit a detailed fiscal accounting report to the State Department 105
of Education, identifying and itemizing every fund allocated, 106
received and expended by the district during the calendar year, 107
before such funds are assigned codes for specific functions and 108
objects. At a minimum, the school district fiscal accounting 109
report shall include: 110
(a) The actual amount of total monthly expenditures, 111
which shall be further identified and itemized by: 112
(i) Amount of each single, independent 113
expenditure; 114
(ii) Date of specific expenditure; 115
(iii) The purpose for which the expenditure was 116
made; 117
(iv) To whom the expenditure of funds was paid; 118
(v) The function and object code associated with 119
each single, independent expenditure; 120
(vi) Contracts for each month, including, without 121
limitation, the identity of each vendor, the purpose of each 122
contract and payments associated with each contract; 123
(vii) An identification of all funding sources, 124
and the monthly beginning and ending balance of those sources; and 125
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(viii) The funding source from which the funds 126
were expended for each transaction; 127
(b) A reporting of all district staff and personnel 128
expenditures separated as follows: 129
(i) Total aggregate expenditures for staff and 130
personnel who are compensated according to a statutory salary 131
schedule during the monthly reporting period; 132
(ii) Total aggregate expenditures for staff and 133
personnel who are not compensated according to a statutory salary 134
schedule during the monthly reporting period; and 135
(iii) By June 30 of each year, an aggregate 136
accounting of salaries for all district personnel, whether 137
compensated in accordance with a statutory salary schedule, 138
through contractual obligation or regular hourly wages, which 139
further identifies each employee's title or job function, their 140
duties and responsibilities and the aggregate amount of 141
compensation disbursed to each employee during the fiscal year; 142
and 143
(c) By June 30 of each year, an identification of all 144
supplemental pay provided by the school district, to teachers, 145
teacher assistants and other district personnel, regardless of 146
capacity for which they serve as a full-time or part-time 147
employee. 148
(4) The State Department of Education, in accordance with 149
rules and regulations established by the State Board of Education, 150
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shall withhold a school district's total funding formula 151
allocation for failure of the district to timely report fiscal and 152
personnel data necessary to meet the requirements of this section. 153
Noncompliance with such rules and regulations shall result in a 154
violation of compulsory accreditation standards as established by 155
the State Board of Education and Commission on School 156
Accreditation. 157
SECTION 5. Section 37-17-6, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 158
amended as follows: 159
37-17-6. (1) The State Board of Education, acting through 160
the Commission on School Accreditation, shall establish and 161
implement a permanent performance-based accreditation system, and 162
all noncharter public elementary and secondary schools shall be 163
accredited under this system. 164
(2) School districts and charter schools shall be required 165
to provide school classroom space that is air-conditioned as a 166
minimum requirement for accreditation. 167
(3) (a) The State Board of Education, acting through the 168
Commission on School Accreditation, shall require that school 169
districts employ certified school librarians according to the 170
following formula: 171
Number of Students Number of Certified 172
Per School Library School Librarians 173
0 - 499 Students 1/2 Full-time Equivalent 174
Certified Librarian 175
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500 or More Students 1 Full-time Certified 176
Librarian 177
(b) The State Board of Education, however, may increase 178
the number of positions beyond the above requirements. 179
(c) The assignment of certified school librarians to 180
the particular schools shall be at the discretion of the local 181
school district. No individual shall be employed as a certified 182
school librarian without appropriate training and certification as 183
a school librarian by the State Department of Education. 184
(d) School librarians in the district shall spend at 185
least fifty percent (50%) of direct work time in a school library 186
and shall devote no more than one-fourth (1/4) of the workday to 187
administrative activities that are library related. 188
(e) Nothing in this subsection shall prohibit any 189
school district from employing more certified school librarians 190
than are provided for in this section. 191
(f) Any additional millage levied to fund school 192
librarians required for accreditation under this subsection shall 193
be included in the tax increase limitation set forth in Sections 194
37-57-105 and 37-57-107 and shall not be deemed a new program for 195
purposes of the limitation. 196
(4) [Deleted] 197
(5) (a) The State Department of Education, acting through 198
the Mississippi Commission on School Accreditation, shall 199
implement a single "A" through "F" school and school district 200
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accountability system complying with applicable federal and state 201
requirements in order to reach the following educational goals: 202
(i) To mobilize resources and supplies to ensure 203
that all students exit third grade reading on grade level; 204
(ii) To reduce the student dropout rate to ten 205
percent (10%) by 2015; and 206
(iii) To have sixty percent (60%) of students 207
scoring proficient and advanced on assessments. 208
(b) The State Department of Education shall combine the 209
state school and school district accountability system with the 210
federal system in order to have a single system. 211
(c) The State Department of Education shall establish 212
five (5) performance categories ("A," "B," "C," "D" and "F") for 213
the accountability system based on the following criteria: 214
(i) Student Achievement: the percent of students 215
proficient and advanced on the current state assessments; 216
(ii) Individual student growth: the percent of 217
students making one (1) year's progress in one (1) year's time on 218
the state assessment, with an emphasis on the progress of the 219
lowest twenty-five percent (25%) of students in the school or 220
district; 221
(iii) Four-year graduation rate: the percent of 222
students graduating with a standard high school diploma in four 223
(4) years, as defined by federal regulations; 224
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(iv) The system shall include the federally 225
compliant four-year graduation rate in school and school district 226
accountability system calculations. Graduation rate will apply to 227
high school, charter school and school district accountability 228
ratings as a compensatory component. The system shall discontinue 229
the use of the High School Completer Index (HSCI); 230
(v) The school and school district accountability 231
system shall incorporate a standards-based growth model, in order 232
to support improvement of individual student learning; 233
(vi) The State Department of Education shall 234
determine feeder patterns of schools that do not earn a school 235
grade because the grades and subjects taught at the school do not 236
have statewide standardized assessments needed to calculate a 237
school grade. Upon determination of the feeder pattern, the 238
department shall notify schools and school districts prior to the 239
release of the school grades. Feeder schools will be assigned the 240
accountability designation of the school to which they provide 241
students; 242
(vii) Standards for student, school and school 243
district performance will be increased when student proficiency is 244
at a seventy-five percent (75%) and/or when sixty-five percent 245
(65%) of the schools and/or school districts and charter schools 246
are earning a grade of "B" or higher, in order to raise the 247
standard on performance after targets are met; and 248
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(viii) The system shall include student 249
performance on the administration of a career-readiness 250
assessment, such as, but not limited to, the ACT WorkKeys 251
Assessment, deemed appropriate by the State Department of 252
Education working in coordination with the Office of Workforce 253
Development. 254
(6) Nothing in this section shall be deemed to require a 255
nonpublic school that receives no local, state or federal funds 256
for support to become accredited by the State Board of Education. 257
(7) The State Board of Education shall create an 258
accreditation audit unit under the Commission on School 259
Accreditation to determine whether schools are complying with 260
accreditation standards. 261
(8) The State Board of Education shall be specifically 262
authorized and empowered to withhold allocations from the total 263
funding formula funds as provided in Sections 37-151-200 through 264
37-151-215 to any public school district or charter school for 265
failure to timely report student, school personnel and fiscal data 266
necessary to meet state and/or federal requirements. 267
(9) [Deleted] 268
(10) The State Board of Education shall establish, for those 269
school districts and charter schools failing to meet accreditation 270
standards, a program of development to be complied with in order 271
to receive state funds, except as otherwise provided in subsection 272
(15) of this section when the Governor has declared a state of 273
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emergency in a school district or as otherwise provided in Section 274
206, Mississippi Constitution of 1890. The state board, in 275
establishing these standards, shall provide for notice to schools 276
and sufficient time and aid to enable schools to attempt to meet 277
these standards, unless procedures under subsection (15) of this 278
section have been invoked. 279
(11) The State Board of Education shall be charged with the 280
implementation of the program of development in each applicable 281
school district as follows: 282
(a) Develop an impairment report for each district 283
failing to meet accreditation standards in conjunction with school 284
district officials; 285
(b) Notify any applicable school district failing to 286
meet accreditation standards that it is on probation until 287
corrective actions are taken or until the deficiencies have been 288
removed. The local school district shall develop a corrective 289
action plan to improve its deficiencies. For district academic 290
deficiencies, the corrective action plan for each such school 291
district shall be based upon a complete analysis of the following: 292
student test data, student grades, student attendance reports, 293
student dropout data, existence and other relevant data. The 294
corrective action plan shall describe the specific measures to be 295
taken by the particular school district and school to improve: 296
(i) instruction; (ii) curriculum; (iii) professional development; 297
(iv) personnel and classroom organization; (v) student incentives 298
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for performance; (vi) process deficiencies; and (vii) reporting to 299
the local school board, parents and the community. The corrective 300
action plan shall describe the specific individuals responsible 301
for implementing each component of the recommendation and how each 302
will be evaluated. All corrective action plans shall be provided 303
to the State Board of Education as may be required. The decision 304
of the State Board of Education establishing the probationary 305
period of time shall be final; 306
(c) Offer, during the probationary period, technical 307
assistance to the school district in making corrective actions. 308
Subject to appropriations, the State Department of Education shall 309
provide technical and/or financial assistance to all such school 310
districts in order to implement each measure identified in that 311
district's corrective action plan through professional development 312
and on-site assistance. Each such school district shall apply for 313
and utilize all available federal funding in order to support its 314
corrective action plan in addition to state funds made available 315
under this paragraph; 316
(d) Assign department personnel or contract, in its 317
discretion, with the institutions of higher learning or other 318
appropriate private entities with experience in the academic, 319
finance and other operational functions of schools to assist 320
school districts; 321
(e) Provide for publication of public notice at least 322
one time during the probationary period, in a newspaper published 323
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within the jurisdiction of the school district failing to meet 324
accreditation standards, or if no newspaper is published therein, 325
then in a newspaper having a general circulation therein. The 326
publication shall include the following: declaration of school 327
system's status as being on probation; all details relating to the 328
impairment report; and other information as the State Board of 329
Education deems appropriate. Public notices issued under this 330
section shall be subject to Section 13-3-31 and not contrary to 331
other laws regarding newspaper publication. 332
(12) (a) If the recommendations for corrective action are 333
not taken by the local school district or if the deficiencies are 334
not removed by the end of the probationary period, the Commission 335
on School Accreditation shall conduct a hearing to allow the 336
affected school district to present evidence or other reasons why 337
its accreditation should not be withdrawn. Additionally, if the 338
local school district violates accreditation standards that have 339
been determined by the policies and procedures of the State Board 340
of Education to be a basis for withdrawal of school district's 341
accreditation without a probationary period, the Commission on 342
School Accreditation shall conduct a hearing to allow the affected 343
school district to present evidence or other reasons why its 344
accreditation should not be withdrawn. After its consideration of 345
the results of the hearing, the Commission on School Accreditation 346
shall be authorized, with the approval of the State Board of 347
Education, to withdraw the accreditation of a public school 348
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district, and issue a request to the Governor that a state of 349
emergency be declared in that district. 350
(b) (i) If the State Board of Education and the 351
Commission on School Accreditation determine that an extreme 352
emergency situation exists in a school district that jeopardizes 353
the safety, security or educational interests of the children 354
enrolled in the schools in that district and that emergency 355
situation is believed to be related to a serious violation or 356
violations of accreditation standards or state or federal law, the 357
State Board of Education may request the Governor to declare a 358
state of emergency in that school district. For purposes of this 359
paragraph, the declarations of a state of emergency district's 360
impairments are related to a lack of financial may include the 361
school district's serious failure to meet minimum academic 362
standards, as evidenced by a continued pattern of poor student 363
performance, or impairments related to a lack of financial 364
resources. 365
(ii) If the State Board of Education determines 366
that a public school or district in the state which, during each 367
of two (2) consecutive school years or during two (2) of three (3) 368
consecutive school years, receives an "F" designation by the State 369
Board of Education under the accountability rating system or has 370
been persistently failing as defined by the State Board of 371
Education; or if the State Board of Education determines that a 372
public school or district in the state which, during each of four 373
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(4) consecutive school years, receives a "D" or "F" designation by 374
the State Board of Education under the accountability rating 375
system or has been persistently failing as defined by the State 376
Board of Education; or if more than fifty percent (50%) of the 377
schools within a school district are designated as Schools-At-Risk 378
in any one (1) year, then the board may place such school or 379
district into a District of Transformation. The State Board of 380
Education shall take over only the number of schools and districts 381
for which it has the capacity to serve. The State Board of 382
Education shall adopt rules and regulations governing any 383
additional requirements for placement into a District of 384
Transformation and the operation thereof. School districts or 385
schools that are eligible to be placed into a District of 386
Transformation due to poor academic performance but are not 387
absorbed due to the capacity of the State Board of Education, 388
shall develop and implement a district improvement plan with 389
prescriptive guidance and support from the Mississippi Department 390
of Education, with the goal of helping the district improve 391
student achievement. Failure of the school board, superintendent 392
and school district staff to implement the plan with fidelity and 393
participate in the activities provided as support by the 394
department shall result in the school district retaining its 395
eligibility for placement into a District of Transformation. 396
(iii) If the State Board of Education determined 397
that a school district is impaired with a serious lack of 398
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financial resources, the State Board of Education may place the 399
school district into a District of Transformation. If a school 400
district is placed into a District of Transformation for financial 401
reasons, the school district shall be required to reimburse the 402
state for any costs incurred by the state on behalf of the school 403
district. 404
(c) Whenever the Governor declares a state of emergency 405
in a school district in response to a request made under paragraph 406
(a) or (b) of this subsection, or when the State Board of 407
Education places a school district into a District of 408
Transformation due to poor academic performance or financial 409
reasons, the State Board of Education may take one or more of the 410
following actions: 411
(i) Declare a state of emergency, under which some 412
or all of state funds can be escrowed except as otherwise provided 413
in Section 206, Constitution of 1890, until the board determines 414
corrective actions are being taken or the deficiencies have been 415
removed, or that the needs of students warrant the release of 416
funds. The funds may be released from escrow for any program 417
which the board determines to have been restored to standard even 418
though the state of emergency may not as yet be terminated for the 419
district as a whole; 420
(ii) Override any decision of the local school 421
board or superintendent of education, or both, concerning the 422
management and operation of the school district, or initiate and 423
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make decisions concerning the management and operation of the 424
school district; 425
(iii) Assign an interim superintendent, or in its 426
discretion, contract with a private entity with experience in the 427
academic, finance and other operational functions of schools and 428
school districts, who will have those powers and duties prescribed 429
in subsection (15) of this section; 430
(iv) Grant transfers to students who attend this 431
school district so that they may attend other accredited schools 432
or districts in a manner that is not in violation of state or 433
federal law; 434
(v) For states of emergency declared under 435
paragraph (a) only, if the accreditation deficiencies are related 436
to the fact that the school district is too small, with too few 437
resources, to meet the required standards and if another school 438
district is willing to accept those students, abolish that 439
district and assign that territory to another school district or 440
districts. If the school district has proposed a voluntary 441
consolidation with another school district or districts, then if 442
the State Board of Education finds that it is in the best interest 443
of the pupils of the district for the consolidation to proceed, 444
the voluntary consolidation shall have priority over any such 445
assignment of territory by the State Board of Education; 446
(vi) For actions taken pursuant to paragraph (b) 447
only, reduce local supplements paid to school district employees, 448
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including, but not limited to, instructional personnel, assistant 449
teachers and extracurricular activities personnel, if the 450
district's impairment is related to a lack of financial resources, 451
but only to an extent that will result in the salaries being 452
comparable to districts similarly situated, as determined by the 453
State Board of Education; 454
(vii) For actions taken pursuant to paragraph (b) 455
only, the State Board of Education may take any action as 456
prescribed in Section 37-17-13. 457
(d) At the time that satisfactory corrective action has 458
been taken in a school district in which a state of emergency has 459
been declared, the State Board of Education may request the 460
Governor to declare that the state of emergency no longer exists 461
in the district. 462
(e) The parent or legal guardian of a school-age child 463
who is enrolled in a school district whose accreditation has been 464
withdrawn by the Commission on School Accreditation and without 465
approval of that school district may file a petition in writing to 466
a school district accredited by the Commission on School 467
Accreditation for a legal transfer. The school district 468
accredited by the Commission on School Accreditation may grant the 469
transfer according to the procedures of Section 37-15-31(1)(b). 470
In the event the accreditation of the student's home district is 471
restored after a transfer has been approved, the student may 472
continue to attend the transferee school district. The per pupil 473
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amount of the total funding formula allotment for the student's 474
home school district shall be transferred monthly to the school 475
district accredited by the Commission on School Accreditation that 476
has granted the transfer of the school-age child. 477
(f) Upon the declaration of a state of emergency for 478
any school district in which the Governor has previously declared 479
a state of emergency, the State Board of Education may either: 480
(i) Place the school district into district 481
transformation, in which the school district shall remain until it 482
has fulfilled all conditions related to district transformation. 483
If the district was assigned an accreditation rating of "D" or "F" 484
when placed into district transformation, the district shall be 485
eligible to return to local control when the school district has 486
attained a "C" rating or higher for three (3) consecutive years; 487
(ii) Abolish the school district and 488
administratively consolidate the school district with one or more 489
existing school districts; 490
(iii) Reduce the size of the district and 491
administratively consolidate parts of the district, as determined 492
by the State Board of Education. However, no school district 493
which is not in district transformation shall be required to 494
accept additional territory over the objection of the district; or 495
(iv) Require the school district to develop and 496
implement a district improvement plan with prescriptive guidance 497
and support from the State Department of Education, with the goal 498
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of helping the district improve student achievement. Failure of 499
the school board, superintendent and school district staff to 500
implement the plan with fidelity and participate in the activities 501
provided as support by the department shall result in the school 502
district retaining its eligibility for district transformation. 503
(13) Upon the declaration of a state of emergency in a 504
school district under subsection (12) of this section, or upon the 505
State Board of Education's placement of a school district into a 506
District of Transformation for academic or financial reasons, the 507
Commission on School Accreditation shall be responsible for public 508
notice at least once a week for at least three (3) consecutive 509
weeks in a newspaper published within the jurisdiction of the 510
school district failing to meet accreditation standards, or if no 511
newspaper is published therein, then in a newspaper having a 512
general circulation therein. The size of the notice shall be no 513
smaller than one-fourth (1/4) of a standard newspaper page and 514
shall be printed in bold print. If an interim superintendent has 515
been appointed for the school district, the notice shall begin as 516
follows: "By authority of Section 37-17-6, * * * as amended, 517
adopted by the Mississippi Legislature during the 1991 Regular 518
Session, this school district (name of school district) is hereby 519
placed under the jurisdiction of the State Department of Education 520
acting through its appointed interim superintendent (name of 521
interim superintendent)." 522
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The notice also shall include, in the discretion of the State 523
Board of Education, any or all details relating to the school 524
district's emergency status, including the declaration of a state 525
of emergency in the school district and a description of the 526
district's impairment deficiencies, conditions of any district 527
transformation status and corrective actions recommended and being 528
taken. Public notices issued under this section shall be subject 529
to Section 13-3-31 and not contrary to other laws regarding 530
newspaper publication. 531
Upon termination of a school district in a District of 532
Transformation, the Commission on School Accreditation shall cause 533
notice to be published in the school district in the same manner 534
provided in this section, to include any or all details relating 535
to the corrective action taken in the school district that 536
resulted in the termination of the state of emergency. 537
(14) The State Board of Education or the Commission on 538
School Accreditation shall have the authority to require school 539
districts to produce the necessary reports, correspondence, 540
financial statements, and any other documents and information 541
necessary to fulfill the requirements of this section. 542
Nothing in this section shall be construed to grant any 543
individual, corporation, board or interim superintendent the 544
authority to levy taxes except in accordance with presently 545
existing statutory provisions. 546
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(15) (a) Whenever the Governor declares a state of 547
emergency in a school district in response to a request made under 548
subsection (12) of this section, or when the State Board of 549
Education places a school district into a District of 550
Transformation for academic or financial reasons, the State Board 551
of Education, in its discretion, may assign an interim 552
superintendent to the school district, or in its discretion, may 553
contract with an appropriate private entity with experience in the 554
academic, finance and other operational functions of schools and 555
school districts, who will be responsible for the administration, 556
management and operation of the school district, including, but 557
not limited to, the following activities: 558
(i) Approving or disapproving all financial 559
obligations of the district, including, but not limited to, the 560
employment, termination, nonrenewal and reassignment of all 561
licensed and nonlicensed personnel, contractual agreements and 562
purchase orders, and approving or disapproving all claim dockets 563
and the issuance of checks; in approving or disapproving 564
employment contracts of superintendents, assistant superintendents 565
or principals, the interim superintendent shall not be required to 566
comply with the time limitations prescribed in Sections 37-9-15 567
and 37-9-105; 568
(ii) Supervising the day-to-day activities of the 569
district's staff, including reassigning the duties and 570
responsibilities of personnel in a manner which, in the 571
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determination of the interim superintendent, will best suit the 572
needs of the district; 573
(iii) Reviewing the district's total financial 574
obligations and operations and making recommendations to the 575
district for cost savings, including, but not limited to, 576
reassigning the duties and responsibilities of staff; 577
(iv) Attending all meetings of the district's 578
school board and administrative staff; 579
(v) Approving or disapproving all athletic, band 580
and other extracurricular activities and any matters related to 581
those activities; 582
(vi) Maintaining a detailed account of 583
recommendations made to the district and actions taken in response 584
to those recommendations; 585
(vii) Reporting periodically to the State Board of 586
Education on the progress or lack of progress being made in the 587
district to improve the district's impairments during the state of 588
emergency; and 589
(viii) Appointing a parent advisory committee, 590
comprised of parents of students in the school district that may 591
make recommendations to the interim superintendent concerning the 592
administration, management and operation of the school district. 593
The cost of the salary of the interim superintendent and any 594
other actual and necessary costs related to district 595
transformation status paid by the State Department of Education 596
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shall be reimbursed by the local school district from funds other 597
than total funding formula funds as provided in Sections 598
37-151-200 through 37-151-215. In the alternative, the local 599
school district may pay the cost of the salary of the interim 600
superintendent. The department shall submit an itemized statement 601
to the superintendent of the local school district for 602
reimbursement purposes, and any unpaid balance may be withheld 603
from the district's funding formula funds. 604
At the time that the Governor, in accordance with the request 605
of the State Board of Education, declares that the state of 606
emergency no longer exists in a school district, the interim 607
superintendent assigned to the district shall remain in place for 608
a period of two (2) years and shall work alongside the newly 609
reconstituted school board. A new superintendent may be hired by 610
the newly reconstituted board after the one (1) year state of 611
emergency no longer exists, but he or she shall serve as deputy to 612
the interim superintendent while the interim superintendent is 613
assigned to the district. 614
(b) In order to provide loans to school districts under 615
a state of emergency or in district transformation status that 616
have impairments related to a lack of financial resources, the 617
School District Emergency Assistance Fund is created as a special 618
fund in the State Treasury into which monies may be transferred or 619
appropriated by the Legislature from any available public 620
education funds. Funds in the School District Emergency 621
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Assistance Fund up to a maximum balance of Three Million Dollars 622
($3,000,000.00) annually shall not lapse but shall be available 623
for expenditure in subsequent years subject to approval of the 624
State Board of Education. Any amount in the fund in excess of 625
Three Million Dollars ($3,000,000.00) at the end of the fiscal 626
year shall lapse into the State General Fund or the Education 627
Enhancement Fund, depending on the source of the fund. 628
The State Board of Education may loan monies from the School 629
District Emergency Assistance Fund to a school district that is 630
under a state of emergency or in district transformation status, 631
in those amounts, as determined by the board, that are necessary 632
to correct the district's impairments related to a lack of 633
financial resources. The loans shall be evidenced by an agreement 634
between the school district and the State Board of Education and 635
shall be repayable in principal, without necessity of interest, to 636
the School District Emergency Assistance Fund by the school 637
district from any allowable funds that are available. The total 638
amount loaned to the district shall be due and payable within five 639
(5) years after the impairments related to a lack of financial 640
resources are corrected. If a school district fails to make 641
payments on the loan in accordance with the terms of the agreement 642
between the district and the State Board of Education, the State 643
Department of Education, in accordance with rules and regulations 644
established by the State Board of Education, may withhold that 645
district's total funding formula funds in an amount and manner 646
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that will effectuate repayment consistent with the terms of the 647
agreement; the funds withheld by the department shall be deposited 648
into the School District Emergency Assistance Fund. 649
The State Board of Education shall develop a protocol that 650
will outline the performance standards and requisite timeline 651
deemed necessary for extreme emergency measures. If the State 652
Board of Education determines that an extreme emergency exists, 653
simultaneous with the powers exercised in this subsection, it 654
shall take immediate action against all parties responsible for 655
the affected school districts having been determined to be in an 656
extreme emergency. The action shall include, but not be limited 657
to, initiating civil actions to recover funds and criminal actions 658
to account for criminal activity. Any funds recovered by the 659
State Auditor or the State Board of Education from the surety 660
bonds of school officials or from any civil action brought under 661
this subsection shall be applied toward the repayment of any loan 662
made to a school district hereunder. 663
(16) [Deleted] 664
(17) [Deleted] 665
(18) The State Board of Education, acting through the 666
Commission on School Accreditation, shall require each school 667
district to comply with standards established by the State 668
Department of Audit for the verification of fixed assets and the 669
auditing of fixed assets records as a minimum requirement for 670
accreditation. 671
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(19) [Deleted] 672
(20) [Deleted] 673
(21) If a local school district is determined as failing and 674
placed into district transformation status for reasons authorized 675
by the provisions of this section, the interim superintendent 676
appointed to the district shall, within forty-five (45) days after 677
being appointed, present a detailed and structured corrective 678
action plan to move the local school district out of district 679
transformation status to the deputy superintendent. A copy of the 680
interim superintendent's corrective action plan shall also be 681
filed with the State Board of Education. 682
(22) The State Board of Education shall integrate the 683
requirements of the School Accountability Dashboard into the 684
existing performance-based accreditation system and ensure 685
compliance by all public schools and districts. 686
SECTION 6. Section 37-17-8, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 687
amended as follows: 688
37-17-8. (1) The State Board of Education, through the 689
Commission on School Accreditation, shall establish criteria for 690
comprehensive in-service staff development plans. These criteria 691
shall: (a) include, but not be limited to, formula and guidelines 692
for allocating available state funds for in-service training to 693
local school districts; (b) require that a portion of the plans be 694
devoted exclusively for the purpose of providing staff development 695
training for beginning teachers within that local school district 696
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and for no other purpose; and (c) require that a portion of the 697
school district's in-service training for administrators and 698
teachers be dedicated to the application and utilization of 699
various disciplinary techniques. The board shall each year make 700
recommendations to the Legislature concerning the amount of funds 701
which shall be appropriated for this purpose. 702
(2) School districts shall not be required to submit staff 703
development plans to the Commission on School Accreditation for 704
approval. However, any school district accredited at the lowest 705
performance levels, as defined by the State Board of Education, 706
shall include, as a part of any required corrective action plan, 707
provisions to address staff development in accordance with State 708
Board of Education requirements. All school districts, unless 709
specifically exempt from this section, must maintain on file staff 710
development plans as required under this section. The plan shall 711
have been prepared by a district committee appointed by the 712
district superintendent and consisting of teachers, 713
administrators, school board members, and lay people, and it shall 714
have been approved by the district superintendent. 715
(3) In order to ensure that teachers are not overburdened 716
with paperwork and written reports, local school districts and 717
the State Board of Education shall take such steps as may be 718
necessary to further the reduction of paperwork requirements on 719
teachers. 720
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ST: School Accountability Dashboard Act;
establish to provide parents with critical
student performance data.
(4) Districts meeting the highest levels of accreditation 721
standards, as defined by the State Board of Education, shall be 722
exempted from the mandatory provisions of this section relating to 723
staff development plans. 724
(5) The School Accountability Dashboard shall serve as a 725
public reporting tool and shall not impose additional punitive 726
measures based solely on the data reported therein. The State 727
Department of Education shall oversee the accuracy and consistency 728
of dashboard data across districts and provide technical 729
assistance as needed. 730
SECTION 7. This act shall take effect and be in force from 731
and after July 1, 2026. 732