The Excellence for All Pilot Program Act; create.

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To: Education
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026

By: Representative McCarty

COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE
FOR
HOUSE BILL NO. 1606

AN ACT TO CREATE THE EXCELLENCE FOR ALL PILOT PROGRAM ACT; TO 1
PROVIDE FINDINGS; TO REQUIRE THE MISSISSIPPI DEPARTMENT OF 2
EDUCATION TO ESTABLISH AND ADMINISTER THE EXCELLENCE FOR ALL PILOT 3
PROGRAM TO SUPPORT LEAS; TO REQUIRE THE DEPARTMENT TO MONITOR 4
IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PROGRAM AND COLLECTION OF DATA; AND FOR 5
RELATED PURPOSES. 6
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: 7
SECTION 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the 8
"Excellence for All Pilot Program Act". 9
SECTION 2. (1) The Legislature finds that: 10
(a) Access to excellent teaching is the most 11
significant school-based factor affecting student academic 12
achievement; 13
(b) Mississippi school districts face persistent 14
challenges related to educator recruitment and retention; and 15
(c) Evidence from other states demonstrates that school 16
staffing redesign models, grounded in evidence and focused on 17
extending the reach of excellent teaching to all students, can 18
improve student learning outcomes while providing sustainable 19
career advancement opportunities for educators. 20
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(2) It is the intent of the Legislature to establish a 21
limited pilot program to evaluate evidence based school staffing 22
redesign models. 23
SECTION 3. As used in this act, unless the context clearly 24
requires otherwise: 25
(a) "Department" means the Mississippi Department of 26
Education. 27
(b) "Local education agency" or "LEA" means a public 28
school district or public charter school in the State of 29
Mississippi. 30
(c) "Evidence-based school staffing redesign" means a 31
school redesign approach supported by empirical evidence of 32
improved student learning, educator satisfaction, and other 33
outcomes. It includes features such as teacher-led teams, 34
innovative roles within teams, sustainable compensation 35
structures, strategic scheduling, embedded instructional support, 36
and accountability matching each role. 37
(d) "Teacher-led team" means a group of educators led 38
by a teacher-leader, who is selected based on demonstrated prior 39
high-growth student learning and is responsible for improving 40
student learning outcomes for all students served by the team. 41
(e) "Innovative roles within teams" means advanced or 42
specialized roles for teachers and support staff that extend the 43
reach of excellent teaching. 44
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(f) "Sustainable compensation structures" means 45
compensation structures that provide substantially higher pay for 46
teacher-leaders, funded within recurring school budgets and not 47
dependent on ongoing supplemental appropriations. 48
(g) "Recurring school budget" means a school or 49
district's annual operating budget. 50
(h) "Strategic scheduling" means protected time during 51
the instructional day aligned to role responsibilities for 52
collaboration, planning, observation, feedback, and data analysis. 53
(i) "Instructional support" means adult-led small-group 54
teaching or tutoring for students. 55
(j) "Accountability matching each role" means clearly 56
defined responsibility for student learning outcomes assigned to 57
teacher-leaders and their teams in a way that matches the 58
structure of the team. 59
(k) "Expert partner" means an organization selected by 60
the department through a competitive process to provide transition 61
support, technical assistance, and implementation support to 62
participating LEAs and the department. 63
(1) "Transition support" means targeted system-level 64
and school-level technical assistance provided to LEAs and schools 65
to plan, implement, and sustain school staffing redesign. 66
SECTION 4. (1) The department shall establish and 67
administer the Excellence for All Pilot Program to support LEAs in 68
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the design, implementation, and continuous improvement of 69
evidence-based school staffing redesign. 70
(2) The goals of the pilot program are to: 71
(a) Increase student learning growth in core academic 72
subjects; 73
(b) Improve educator satisfaction, retention, and 74
recruitment through creating meaningful career pathways; and 75
(c) Promote financially sustainable staffing models 76
capable of long-term scale. 77
SECTION 5. (1) Participation in the pilot program shall be 78
voluntary. 79
(2) The department shall establish eligibility criteria, 80
application procedures, and selection timelines consistent with 81
the deadlines set forth in Section 9 of this act. 82
(3) (a) The department shall select participating local 83
educational agencies (LEAs) in two (2) cohorts: 84
(i) Cohort One, to be selected during the first 85
year of the pilot; and 86
(ii) Cohort Two, to be selected during the second 87
year of the pilot. 88
(b) The department shall select not fewer than three 89
(3) and not more than five (5) LEAs per cohort. 90
(4) Each participating LEA shall engage in a design and 91
planning process prior to initial implementation and may, upon 92
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approval by the department, add additional schools in successive 93
years of participation following its initial implementation year. 94
(5) In implementing the pilot, the department shall seek to 95
engage at least three (3) schools per participating LEA per year 96
of implementation, provided that the department may approve 97
alternative participation levels based on LEA size, readiness, or 98
capacity. 99
(6) Priority may be given to LEAs serving high percentages 100
of students from low-income, rural, or historically underserved 101
communities. 102
SECTION 6. Each participating LEA shall implement an 103
evidence-based school staffing redesign model that includes, at a 104
minimum: 105
(a) Teacher-led teams; 106
(b) Roles for paraeducators and other noncertified 107
staff, focused on providing instructional support and release time 108
for teacher-leaders and their teams; 109
(c) Sustainable compensation structures; 110
(d) Strategic scheduling aligned to role 111
responsibilities; 112
(e) Accountability matching each role; and 113
(f) Instructional support, including adult-led 114
small-group teaching and tutoring students. 115
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SECTION 7. (1) The department shall ensure participating 116
LEAs receive transition support necessary for planning and 117
implementation. 118
(2) Transition support may include planning assistance, 119
professional learning, implementation tools, and ongoing technical 120
assistance. 121
SECTION 8. (1) The department shall select a single expert 122
partner through a competitive and transparent process. 123
(2) To be eligible, an expert partner must demonstrate a 124
proven record of implementing evidence based school staffing 125
redesign with measurable student and educator outcomes and 126
capacity to deliver transition support and evaluation assistance. 127
(3) The department may enter into a multiyear agreement with 128
the expert partner, subject to available appropriations. 129
(4) The expert partner shall assist with LEA recruitment and 130
selection, provide transition support to LEAs and schools, work 131
with the department to identify and address policy barriers, 132
assist with implementation monitoring, support evaluation, and 133
maintain transparency and avoidance of conflicts of interest. 134
SECTION 9. (1) The department shall issue a solicitation 135
for local educational agency (LEA) participation on or before 136
October 15 of the first and second years of the pilot program. 137
(2) For each solicitation issued under subsection (1) of the 138
section, LEAs shall submit applications on or before December 15, 139
and selections shall be announced on or before February 15. 140
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(3) The department may designate a planning and 141
capacity-building period of not less than four (4) months for each 142
participating LEA prior to implementation. 143
SECTION 10. (1) The department, in collaboration with the 144
expert partner, shall monitor implementation and collect data on 145
student outcomes, educator outcomes, and fiscal sustainability. 146
(2) Evaluation methods shall include disaggregated 147
analysis by student subgroup, school type, and geography, to the 148
extent practicable. 149
SECTION 11. (1) The department shall submit an annual 150
report to the Legislature no later than February 1 of each year 151
summarizing program implementation and outcomes. 152
(2) Reports shall be made publicly available. 153
SECTION 12. (1) The department shall adopt rules and issue 154
guidance necessary to implement this act. 155
(2) The department shall implement the pilot program in a 156
manner consistent with existing State Board of Education rules and 157
waiver authority. 158
SECTION 13. Implementation of the Excellence for All Pilot 159
Program, including transition support, technical assistance, 160
evaluation activities, and any contractual services, shall be 161
subject to the availability of funds appropriated by the 162
Legislature for such purpose. 163
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ST: The Excellence for All Pilot Program Act;
create.
SECTION 14. (1) During the final year of the pilot program, 164
the Department shall conduct a comprehensive evaluation in 165
consultation with an independent evaluator. 166
(2) The final evaluation shall be presented to the House 167
Education Committee and Senate Education Committee no later than 168
December 1, 2030. 169
(3) This act shall stand repealed from and after July 1, 170
2031, unless reauthorized by the Legislature. 171
SECTION 15. This act shall take effect and be in force from 172
and after July 1, 2026. 173