School curriculum; require course in personal finance as graduation requirement.

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To: Education;
Appropriations A
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026

By: Representative Roberson

HOUSE BILL NO. 1710

AN ACT TO REQUIRE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS, BEGINNING WITH THE 1
CLASS OF 2032, TO PASS A COURSE IN PERSONAL FINANCE AS A 2
GRADUATION REQUIREMENT; TO CREATE THE FINANCIAL LITERACY TRUST 3
FUND IN THE STATE TREASURY FOR THE PURPOSE OF PROVIDING FUNDING 4
FOR THE FINANCIAL LITERACY PROGRAM; TO REQUIRE THE STATE BOARD OF 5
EDUCATION TO ADMINISTER THE FUND; TO AMEND SECTION 37-7-301, 6
MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO DELETE THE REQUIREMENT THAT LOCAL 7
SCHOOL BOARDS IMPLEMENT A FINANCIAL LITERACY PROGRAM FOR STUDENTS 8
IN GRADES 10 AND 11; TO AMEND SECTION 37-16-7, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 9
1972, IN CONFORMITY TO THE PROVISIONS OF THIS ACT; TO AMEND 10
SECTION 37-28-45, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO REQUIRE STUDENTS IN 11
CHARTER SCHOOLS TO COMPLY WITH THE PERSONAL FINANCE COURSE 12
GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS; TO BRING FORWARD SECTION 37-1-3, 13
MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, WHICH REQUIRES THE STATE BOARD OF 14
EDUCATION TO DEVELOP PERSONAL LIVING AND FINANCES OBJECTIVES FOR 15
EXISTING HIGH SCHOOL COURSES, FOR PURPOSES OF POSSIBLE AMENDMENT; 16
AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES. 17
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: 18
SECTION 1. (1) Beginning with the 2028-2029 school year, 19
each student entering the ninth grade in the public schools, 20
including charter schools, shall take and be required to pass a 21
one-half (1/2) Carnegie unit course in personal finance or a full 22
Carnegie unit course in which no less than one-half (1/2) of the 23
course standards concern financial literacy during grade 9, 10, 11 24
or 12 in order to earn a high school diploma. 25
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(2) There is established in the State Treasury a special 26
fund to be known as the "Financial Literacy Trust Fund" to provide 27
financial literacy education for this program. The fund shall be 28
administered by the State Board of Education and shall consist of 29
monies appropriated by the state or federal government. No 30
expenditure from the fund shall cause the fund to be in deficiency 31
at the close of the fiscal year. Unexpended monies remaining in 32
the fund at the end of the fiscal year shall not lapse into the 33
State General Fund. The fund shall be an expendable trust fund 34
subject to legislative appropriation. 35
(3) The State Board of Education shall administer the fund 36
and develop rules and regulations for the administration of the 37
trust. Beginning with the 2030-2031 school year, and every two 38
(2) years thereafter, an independent audit of the financial 39
activities of the trust fund must be conducted, with the audit 40
report being provided to the Chairmen of the House and Senate 41
Education Committees. The State Board of Education may expend 42
trust fund monies to conduct the independent audit. The board 43
shall report to the Legislature all programmatic and financial 44
activities and balances of the fund before December 1 of each 45
year. 46
SECTION 2. Section 37-7-301, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 47
amended as follows: 48
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37-7-301. The school boards of all school districts shall 49
have the following powers, authority and duties in addition to all 50
others imposed or granted by law, to wit: 51
(a) To organize and operate the schools of the district 52
and to make such division between the high school grades and 53
elementary grades as, in their judgment, will serve the best 54
interests of the school; 55
(b) To introduce public school music, art, manual 56
training and other special subjects into either the elementary or 57
high school grades, as the board shall deem proper; 58
(c) To be the custodians of real and personal school 59
property and to manage, control and care for same, both during the 60
school term and during vacation; 61
(d) To have responsibility for the erection, repairing 62
and equipping of school facilities and the making of necessary 63
school improvements; 64
(e) To suspend or to expel a pupil or to change the 65
placement of a pupil to the school district's alternative school 66
or homebound program for misconduct in the school or on school 67
property, as defined in Section 37-11-29, on the road to and from 68
school, or at any school-related activity or event, or for conduct 69
occurring on property other than school property or other than at 70
a school-related activity or event when such conduct by a pupil, 71
in the determination of the school superintendent or principal, 72
renders that pupil's presence in the classroom a disruption to the 73
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educational environment of the school or a detriment to the best 74
interest and welfare of the pupils and teacher of such class as a 75
whole, and to delegate such authority to the appropriate officials 76
of the school district; 77
(f) To visit schools in the district, in their 78
discretion, in a body for the purpose of determining what can be 79
done for the improvement of the school in a general way; 80
(g) To support, within reasonable limits, the 81
superintendent, principal and teachers where necessary for the 82
proper discipline of the school; 83
(h) To exclude from the schools students with what 84
appears to be infectious or contagious diseases; provided, 85
however, such student may be allowed to return to school upon 86
presenting a certificate from a public health officer, duly 87
licensed physician or nurse practitioner that the student is free 88
from such disease; 89
(i) To require those vaccinations specified by the 90
State Health Officer as provided in Section 41-23-37; 91
(j) To see that all necessary utilities and services 92
are provided in the schools at all times when same are needed; 93
(k) To authorize the use of the school buildings and 94
grounds for the holding of public meetings and gatherings of the 95
people under such regulations as may be prescribed by said board; 96
(l) To prescribe and enforce rules and regulations not 97
inconsistent with law or with the regulations of the State Board 98
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of Education for their own government and for the government of 99
the schools, and to transact their business at regular and special 100
meetings called and held in the manner provided by law; 101
(m) To maintain and operate all of the schools under 102
their control for such length of time during the year as may be 103
required; 104
(n) To enforce in the schools the courses of study and 105
the use of the textbooks prescribed by the proper authorities; 106
(o) To make orders directed to the superintendent of 107
schools for the issuance of pay certificates for lawful purposes 108
on any available funds of the district and to have full control of 109
the receipt, distribution, allotment and disbursement of all funds 110
provided for the support and operation of the schools of such 111
school district whether such funds be derived from state 112
appropriations, local ad valorem tax collections, or otherwise. 113
The local school board shall be authorized and empowered to 114
promulgate rules and regulations that specify the types of claims 115
and set limits of the dollar amount for payment of claims by the 116
superintendent of schools to be ratified by the board at the next 117
regularly scheduled meeting after payment has been made; 118
(p) To select all school district personnel in the 119
manner provided by law, and to provide for such employee fringe 120
benefit programs, including accident reimbursement plans, as may 121
be deemed necessary and appropriate by the board; 122
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(q) To provide athletic programs and other school 123
activities and to regulate the establishment and operation of such 124
programs and activities; 125
(r) To join, in their discretion, any association of 126
school boards and other public school-related organizations, and 127
to pay from local funds other than total funding formula funds, 128
any membership dues; 129
(s) To expend local school activity funds, or other 130
available school district funds, other than total funding formula 131
funds, for the purposes prescribed under this paragraph. 132
"Activity funds" shall mean all funds received by school officials 133
in all school districts paid or collected to participate in any 134
school activity, such activity being part of the school program 135
and partially financed with public funds or supplemented by public 136
funds. The term "activity funds" shall not include any funds 137
raised and/or expended by any organization unless commingled in a 138
bank account with existing activity funds, regardless of whether 139
the funds were raised by school employees or received by school 140
employees during school hours or using school facilities, and 141
regardless of whether a school employee exercises influence over 142
the expenditure or disposition of such funds. Organizations shall 143
not be required to make any payment to any school for the use of 144
any school facility if, in the discretion of the local school 145
governing board, the organization's function shall be deemed to be 146
beneficial to the official or extracurricular programs of the 147
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school. For the purposes of this provision, the term 148
"organization" shall not include any organization subject to the 149
control of the local school governing board. Activity funds may 150
only be expended for any necessary expenses or travel costs, 151
including advances, incurred by students and their chaperons in 152
attending any in-state or out-of-state school-related programs, 153
conventions or seminars and/or any commodities, equipment, travel 154
expenses, purchased services or school supplies which the local 155
school governing board, in its discretion, shall deem beneficial 156
to the official or extracurricular programs of the district, 157
including items which may subsequently become the personal 158
property of individuals, including yearbooks, athletic apparel, 159
book covers and trophies. Activity funds may be used to pay 160
travel expenses of school district personnel. The local school 161
governing board shall be authorized and empowered to promulgate 162
rules and regulations specifically designating for what purposes 163
school activity funds may be expended. The local school governing 164
board shall provide (i) that such school activity funds shall be 165
maintained and expended by the principal of the school generating 166
the funds in individual bank accounts, or (ii) that such school 167
activity funds shall be maintained and expended by the 168
superintendent of schools in a central depository approved by the 169
board. The local school governing board shall provide that such 170
school activity funds be audited as part of the annual audit 171
required in Section 37-9-18. The State Department of Education 172
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shall prescribe a uniform system of accounting and financial 173
reporting for all school activity fund transactions; 174
(t) To enter into an energy performance contract, 175
energy services contract, on a shared-savings, lease or 176
lease-purchase basis, for energy efficiency services and/or 177
equipment as provided for in Section 31-7-14; 178
(u) To maintain accounts and issue pay certificates on 179
school food service bank accounts; 180
(v) (i) To lease a school building from an individual, 181
partnership, nonprofit corporation or a private for-profit 182
corporation for the use of such school district, and to expend 183
funds therefor as may be available from any sources other than 184
total funding formula funds as set by Sections 37-151-200 through 185
37-151-215. The school board of the school district desiring to 186
lease a school building shall declare by resolution that a need 187
exists for a school building and that the school district cannot 188
provide the necessary funds to pay the cost or its proportionate 189
share of the cost of a school building required to meet the 190
present needs. The resolution so adopted by the school board 191
shall be published once each week for three (3) consecutive weeks 192
in a newspaper having a general circulation in the school district 193
involved, with the first publication thereof to be made not less 194
than thirty (30) days prior to the date upon which the school 195
board is to act on the question of leasing a school building. If 196
no petition requesting an election is filed prior to such meeting 197
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as hereinafter provided, then the school board may, by resolution 198
spread upon its minutes, proceed to lease a school building. If 199
at any time prior to said meeting a petition signed by not less 200
than twenty percent (20%) or fifteen hundred (1500), whichever is 201
less, of the qualified electors of the school district involved 202
shall be filed with the school board requesting that an election 203
be called on the question, then the school board shall, not later 204
than the next regular meeting, adopt a resolution calling an 205
election to be held within such school district upon the question 206
of authorizing the school board to lease a school building. Such 207
election shall be called and held, and notice thereof shall be 208
given, in the same manner for elections upon the questions of the 209
issuance of the bonds of school districts, and the results thereof 210
shall be certified to the school board. If at least three-fifths 211
(3/5) of the qualified electors of the school district who voted 212
in such election shall vote in favor of the leasing of a school 213
building, then the school board shall proceed to lease a school 214
building. The term of the lease contract shall not exceed twenty 215
(20) years, and the total cost of such lease shall be either the 216
amount of the lowest and best bid accepted by the school board 217
after advertisement for bids or an amount not to exceed the 218
current fair market value of the lease as determined by the 219
averaging of at least two (2) appraisals by certified general 220
appraisers licensed by the State of Mississippi. The term "school 221
building" as used in this paragraph (v)(i) shall be construed to 222
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mean any building or buildings used for classroom purposes in 223
connection with the operation of schools and shall include the 224
site therefor, necessary support facilities, and the equipment 225
thereof and appurtenances thereto such as heating facilities, 226
water supply, sewage disposal, landscaping, walks, drives and 227
playgrounds. The term "lease" as used in this paragraph (v)(i) 228
may include a lease-purchase contract; 229
(ii) If two (2) or more school districts propose 230
to enter into a lease contract jointly, then joint meetings of the 231
school boards having control may be held but no action taken shall 232
be binding on any such school district unless the question of 233
leasing a school building is approved in each participating school 234
district under the procedure hereinabove set forth in paragraph 235
(v)(i). All of the provisions of paragraph (v)(i) regarding the 236
term and amount of the lease contract shall apply to the school 237
boards of school districts acting jointly. Any lease contract 238
executed by two (2) or more school districts as joint lessees 239
shall set out the amount of the aggregate lease rental to be paid 240
by each, which may be agreed upon, but there shall be no right of 241
occupancy by any lessee unless the aggregate rental is paid as 242
stipulated in the lease contract. All rights of joint lessees 243
under the lease contract shall be in proportion to the amount of 244
lease rental paid by each; 245
(w) To employ all noninstructional and noncertificated 246
employees and fix the duties and compensation of such personnel 247
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deemed necessary pursuant to the recommendation of the 248
superintendent of schools; 249
(x) To employ and fix the duties and compensation of 250
such legal counsel as deemed necessary; 251
(y) Subject to rules and regulations of the State Board 252
of Education, to purchase, own and operate trucks, vans and other 253
motor vehicles, which shall bear the proper identification 254
required by law; 255
(z) To expend funds for the payment of substitute 256
teachers and to adopt reasonable regulations for the employment 257
and compensation of such substitute teachers; 258
(aa) To acquire in its own name by purchase all real 259
property which shall be necessary and desirable in connection with 260
the construction, renovation or improvement of any public school 261
building or structure. Whenever the purchase price for such real 262
property is greater than Fifty Thousand Dollars ($50,000.00), the 263
school board shall not purchase the property for an amount 264
exceeding the fair market value of such property as determined by 265
the average of at least two (2) independent appraisals by 266
certified general appraisers licensed by the State of Mississippi. 267
If the board shall be unable to agree with the owner of any such 268
real property in connection with any such project, the board shall 269
have the power and authority to acquire any such real property by 270
condemnation proceedings pursuant to Section 11-27-1 et seq., 271
Mississippi Code of 1972, and for such purpose, the right of 272
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eminent domain is hereby conferred upon and vested in said board. 273
Provided further, that the local school board is authorized to 274
grant an easement for ingress and egress over sixteenth section 275
land or lieu land in exchange for a similar easement upon 276
adjoining land where the exchange of easements affords substantial 277
benefit to the sixteenth section land; provided, however, the 278
exchange must be based upon values as determined by a competent 279
appraiser, with any differential in value to be adjusted by cash 280
payment. Any easement rights granted over sixteenth section land 281
under such authority shall terminate when the easement ceases to 282
be used for its stated purpose. No sixteenth section or lieu land 283
which is subject to an existing lease shall be burdened by any 284
such easement except by consent of the lessee or unless the school 285
district shall acquire the unexpired leasehold interest affected 286
by the easement; 287
(bb) To charge reasonable fees related to the 288
educational programs of the district, in the manner prescribed in 289
Section 37-7-335; 290
(cc) Subject to rules and regulations of the State 291
Board of Education, to purchase relocatable classrooms for the use 292
of such school district, in the manner prescribed in Section 293
37-1-13; 294
(dd) Enter into contracts or agreements with other 295
school districts, political subdivisions or governmental entities 296
to carry out one or more of the powers or duties of the school 297
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board, or to allow more efficient utilization of limited resources 298
for providing services to the public; 299
(ee) To provide for in-service training for employees 300
of the district; 301
(ff) As part of their duties to prescribe the use of 302
textbooks, to provide that parents and legal guardians shall be 303
responsible for the textbooks and for the compensation to the 304
school district for any books which are not returned to the proper 305
schools upon the withdrawal of their dependent child. If a 306
textbook is lost or not returned by any student who drops out of 307
the public school district, the parent or legal guardian shall 308
also compensate the school district for the fair market value of 309
the textbooks; 310
(gg) To conduct fund-raising activities on behalf of 311
the school district that the local school board, in its 312
discretion, deems appropriate or beneficial to the official or 313
extracurricular programs of the district; provided that: 314
(i) Any proceeds of the fund-raising activities 315
shall be treated as "activity funds" and shall be accounted for as 316
are other activity funds under this section; and 317
(ii) Fund-raising activities conducted or 318
authorized by the board for the sale of school pictures, the 319
rental of caps and gowns or the sale of graduation invitations for 320
which the school board receives a commission, rebate or fee shall 321
contain a disclosure statement advising that a portion of the 322
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proceeds of the sales or rentals shall be contributed to the 323
student activity fund; 324
(hh) To allow individual lessons for music, art and 325
other curriculum-related activities for academic credit or 326
nonacademic credit during school hours and using school equipment 327
and facilities, subject to uniform rules and regulations adopted 328
by the school board; 329
(ii) To charge reasonable fees for participating in an 330
extracurricular activity for academic or nonacademic credit for 331
necessary and required equipment such as safety equipment, band 332
instruments and uniforms; 333
(jj) To conduct or participate in any fund-raising 334
activities on behalf of or in connection with a tax-exempt 335
charitable organization; 336
(kk) To exercise such powers as may be reasonably 337
necessary to carry out the provisions of this section; 338
(ll) To expend funds for the services of nonprofit arts 339
organizations or other such nonprofit organizations who provide 340
performances or other services for the students of the school 341
district; 342
(mm) To expend federal No Child Left Behind Act funds, 343
or any other available funds that are expressly designated and 344
authorized for that use, to pay training, educational expenses, 345
salary incentives and salary supplements to employees of local 346
school districts; except that incentives shall not be considered 347
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part of the local supplement, nor shall incentives be considered 348
part of the local supplement paid to an individual teacher for the 349
purposes of Section 37-19-7(1); 350
(nn) To use any available funds, not appropriated or 351
designated for any other purpose, for reimbursement to the 352
state-licensed employees from both in state and out of state, who 353
enter into a contract for employment in a school district, for the 354
expense of moving when the employment necessitates the relocation 355
of the licensed employee to a different geographical area than 356
that in which the licensed employee resides before entering into 357
the contract. The reimbursement shall not exceed One Thousand 358
Dollars ($1,000.00) for the documented actual expenses incurred in 359
the course of relocating, including the expense of any 360
professional moving company or persons employed to assist with the 361
move, rented moving vehicles or equipment, mileage in the amount 362
authorized for county and municipal employees under Section 363
25-3-41 if the licensed employee used his personal vehicle or 364
vehicles for the move, meals and such other expenses associated 365
with the relocation. No licensed employee may be reimbursed for 366
moving expenses under this section on more than one (1) occasion 367
by the same school district. Nothing in this section shall be 368
construed to require the actual residence to which the licensed 369
employee relocates to be within the boundaries of the school 370
district that has executed a contract for employment in order for 371
the licensed employee to be eligible for reimbursement for the 372
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moving expenses. However, the licensed employee must relocate 373
within the boundaries of the State of Mississippi. Any individual 374
receiving relocation assistance through the Critical Teacher 375
Shortage Act as provided in Section 37-159-5 shall not be eligible 376
to receive additional relocation funds as authorized in this 377
paragraph; 378
(oo) To use any available funds, not appropriated or 379
designated for any other purpose, to reimburse persons who 380
interview for employment as a licensed employee with the district 381
for the mileage and other actual expenses incurred in the course 382
of travel to and from the interview at the rate authorized for 383
county and municipal employees under Section 25-3-41; 384
(pp) Consistent with the report of the Task Force to 385
Conduct a Best Financial Management Practices Review, to improve 386
school district management and use of resources and identify cost 387
savings as established in Section 8 of Chapter 610, Laws of 2002, 388
local school boards are encouraged to conduct independent reviews 389
of the management and efficiency of schools and school districts. 390
Such management and efficiency reviews shall provide state and 391
local officials and the public with the following: 392
(i) An assessment of a school district's 393
governance and organizational structure; 394
(ii) An assessment of the school district's 395
financial and personnel management; 396
(iii) An assessment of revenue levels and sources; 397
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(iv) An assessment of facilities utilization, 398
planning and maintenance; 399
(v) An assessment of food services, transportation 400
and safety/security systems; 401
(vi) An assessment of instructional and 402
administrative technology; 403
(vii) A review of the instructional management and 404
the efficiency and effectiveness of existing instructional 405
programs; and 406
(viii) Recommended methods for increasing 407
efficiency and effectiveness in providing educational services to 408
the public; 409
(qq) To enter into agreements with other local school 410
boards for the establishment of an educational service agency 411
(ESA) to provide for the cooperative needs of the region in which 412
the school district is located, as provided in Section 37-7-345; 413
* * * 414
( * * *rr) To collaborate with the State Board of 415
Education, Community Action Agencies or the Department of Human 416
Services to develop and implement a voluntary program to provide 417
services for a prekindergarten program that addresses the 418
cognitive, social, and emotional needs of four-year-old and 419
three-year-old children. The school board may utilize any source 420
of available revenue to fund the voluntary program. Effective 421
with the 2013-2014 school year, to implement voluntary 422
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prekindergarten programs under the Early Learning Collaborative 423
Act of 2013 pursuant to state funds awarded by the State 424
Department of Education on a matching basis; 425
( * * *ss) With respect to any lawful, written 426
obligation of a school district, including, but not limited to, 427
leases (excluding leases of sixteenth section public school trust 428
land), bonds, notes, or other agreement, to agree in writing with 429
the obligee that the Department of Revenue or any state agency, 430
department or commission created under state law may: 431
(i) Withhold all or any part (as agreed by the 432
school board) of any monies which such local school board is 433
entitled to receive from time to time under any law and which is 434
in the possession of the Department of Revenue, or any state 435
agency, department or commission created under state law; and 436
(ii) Pay the same over to any financial 437
institution, trustee or other obligee, as directed in writing by 438
the school board, to satisfy all or part of such obligation of the 439
school district. 440
The school board may make such written agreement to withhold 441
and transfer funds irrevocable for the term of the written 442
obligation and may include in the written agreement any other 443
terms and provisions acceptable to the school board. If the 444
school board files a copy of such written agreement with the 445
Department of Revenue, or any state agency, department or 446
commission created under state law then the Department of Revenue 447
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or any state agency, department or commission created under state 448
law shall immediately make the withholdings provided in such 449
agreement from the amounts due the local school board and shall 450
continue to pay the same over to such financial institution, 451
trustee or obligee for the term of the agreement. 452
This paragraph ( * * *ss) shall not grant any extra authority 453
to a school board to issue debt in any amount exceeding statutory 454
limitations on assessed value of taxable property within such 455
school district or the statutory limitations on debt maturities, 456
and shall not grant any extra authority to impose, levy or collect 457
a tax which is not otherwise expressly provided for, and shall not 458
be construed to apply to sixteenth section public school trust 459
land; 460
( * * *tt) With respect to any matter or transaction 461
that is competitively bid by a school district, to accept from any 462
bidder as a good-faith deposit or bid bond or bid surety, the same 463
type of good-faith deposit or bid bond or bid surety that may be 464
accepted by the state or any other political subdivision on 465
similar competitively bid matters or transactions. This paragraph 466
( * * *tt) shall not be construed to apply to sixteenth section 467
public school trust land. The school board may authorize the 468
investment of any school district funds in the same kind and 469
manner of investments, including pooled investments, as any other 470
political subdivision, including community hospitals; 471
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( * * *uu) To utilize the alternate method for the 472
conveyance or exchange of unused school buildings and/or land, 473
reserving a partial or other undivided interest in the property, 474
as specifically authorized and provided in Section 37-7-485; 475
( * * *vv) To delegate, privatize or otherwise enter 476
into a contract with private entities for the operation of any and 477
all functions of nonacademic school process, procedures and 478
operations including, but not limited to, cafeteria workers, 479
janitorial services, transportation, professional development, 480
achievement and instructional consulting services materials and 481
products, purchasing cooperatives, insurance, business manager 482
services, auditing and accounting services, school safety/risk 483
prevention, data processing and student records, and other staff 484
services; however, the authority under this paragraph does not 485
apply to the leasing, management or operation of sixteenth section 486
lands. Local school districts, working through their regional 487
education service agency, are encouraged to enter into buying 488
consortia with other member districts for the purposes of more 489
efficient use of state resources as described in Section 37-7-345; 490
( * * *ww) To partner with entities, organizations and 491
corporations for the purpose of benefiting the school district; 492
( * * *xx) To borrow funds from the Rural Economic 493
Development Authority for the maintenance of school buildings; 494
( * * *yy) To fund and operate voluntary early 495
childhood education programs, defined as programs for children 496
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less than five (5) years of age on or before September 1, and to 497
use any source of revenue for such early childhood education 498
programs. Such programs shall not conflict with the Early 499
Learning Collaborative Act of 2013; 500
( * * *zz) To issue and provide for the use of 501
procurement cards by school board members, superintendents and 502
licensed school personnel consistent with the rules and 503
regulations of the Mississippi Department of Finance and 504
Administration under Section 31-7-9; and 505
( * * *aaa) To conduct an annual comprehensive 506
evaluation of the superintendent of schools consistent with the 507
assessment components of paragraph (pp) of this section and the 508
assessment benchmarks established by the Mississippi School Board 509
Association to evaluate the success the superintendent has 510
attained in meeting district goals and objectives, the 511
superintendent's leadership skill and whether or not the 512
superintendent has established appropriate standards for 513
performance, is monitoring success and is using data for 514
improvement. 515
SECTION 3. Section 37-16-7, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 516
amended as follows: 517
37-16-7. (1) Each district school board shall establish 518
standards for graduation from its schools which shall include as a 519
minimum: 520
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(a) Mastery of minimum academic skills as measured by 521
assessments developed and administered by the State Board of 522
Education * * *; and 523
(b) Completion of a minimum number of academic credits, 524
including a one-half (1/2) Carnegie unit credit course in personal 525
finance or a full Carnegie unit course in which no less than 526
one-half (1/2) of the course standards concern financial literacy 527
as required under Section 1 of this act, and all other applicable 528
requirements prescribed by the district school board. 529
( * * *2) The school board shall maintain, by school, 530
information on high school graduation rates. High schools with 531
graduation rates lower than eighty percent (80%) must submit a 532
detailed plan to the Mississippi Department of Education to 533
restructure the high school experience to improve graduation 534
rates. 535
( * * *3) A student who meets all requirements prescribed in 536
subsection (1) of this section shall be awarded a standard diploma 537
in a form prescribed by the State Board of Education. 538
( * * *4) The State Board of Education may establish student 539
proficiency standards for promotion to grade levels leading to 540
graduation. 541
( * * *5) The State Board of Education shall develop a 542
curriculum related to the study of sign language. Any such class 543
developed by the board may count as an academic credit for foreign 544
languages for the purposes of high school graduation requirements. 545
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SECTION 4. Section 37-28-45, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 546
amended as follows: 547
37-28-45. (1) Charter schools are subject to the same civil 548
rights, health and safety requirements applicable to noncharter 549
public schools in the state, except as otherwise specifically 550
provided in this chapter. 551
(2) Charter schools are subject to the student assessment 552
and accountability requirements applicable to noncharter public 553
schools in the state; however, this requirement does not preclude 554
a charter school from establishing additional student assessment 555
measures that go beyond state requirements if the authorizer 556
approves those measures. 557
(3) Although a charter school is geographically located 558
within the boundaries of a particular school district and enrolls 559
students who reside within the school district, the charter school 560
may not be considered a school within that district under the 561
purview of the school district's school board. The rules, 562
regulations, policies and procedures established by the school 563
board for the noncharter public schools that are in the school 564
district in which the charter school is geographically located do 565
not apply to the charter school unless otherwise required under 566
the charter contract or any contract entered into between the 567
charter school governing board and the local school board. 568
(4) Whenever the provisions of Title 37, Mississippi Code of 569
1972, relating to the elementary and secondary education of public 570
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school students establish a requirement for or grant authority to 571
local school districts, their school boards and the schools within 572
the respective school districts, the language "school districts," 573
"school boards," "boards of trustees," "the schools within a 574
school district," or any other similar phraseology does not 575
include a charter school and the governing board of a charter 576
school unless the statute specifically is made applicable to 577
charter schools as well as noncharter public schools. 578
(5) A charter school is not subject to any rule, regulation, 579
policy or procedure adopted by the State Board of Education or the 580
State Department of Education unless otherwise required by the 581
authorizer or in the charter contract. 582
(6) Charter schools are not exempt from the following 583
statutes: 584
(a) Chapter 41, Title 25, Mississippi Code of 1972, 585
which relate to open meetings of public bodies. 586
(b) Chapter 61, Title 25, Mississippi Code of 1972, 587
which relate to public access to public records. 588
(c) Section 37-3-51, which requires notice by the 589
district attorney of licensed school employees who are convicted 590
of certain sex offenses. 591
(d) Section 37-3-53, which requires publication of the 592
Mississippi Report Card by the State Board of Education. 593
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(e) Section 37-11-18, which requires the automatic 594
expulsion of a student possessing a weapon or controlled substance 595
on educational property. 596
(f) Section 37-11-18.1, which requires expulsion of 597
certain habitually disruptive students. 598
(g) Section 37-11-19, which requires suspension or 599
expulsion of a student who damages school property. 600
(h) Section 37-11-20, which prohibits acts of 601
intimidation intended to keep a student from attending school. 602
(i) Section 37-11-21, which prohibits parental abuse of 603
school staff. 604
(j) Section 37-11-23, which prohibits the willful 605
disruption of school and school meetings. 606
(k) Sections 37-11-29 and 37-11-31, which relate to 607
reporting requirements regarding unlawful or violent acts on 608
school property. 609
(l) Section 37-11-67, which prohibits bullying or 610
harassing behavior in public schools. 611
(m) Section 37-13-3, which prohibits doctrinal, 612
sectarian or denominational teaching in public schools. 613
(n) Sections 37-13-5 and 37-13-6, which require the 614
flags of the United States and the State of Mississippi to be 615
displayed near the school building. 616
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(o) Section 37-13-63(1), which prescribes the minimum 617
number of days which public schools must be kept in session during 618
a scholastic year. 619
(p) Section 37-13-91, which is the Mississippi 620
Compulsory School Attendance Law. 621
(q) Section 37-13-171(2) and (4), which requires any 622
course containing sex-related education to include instruction in 623
abstinence-only or abstinence-plus education. 624
(r) Section 37-13-173, which requires notice to parents 625
before instruction on human sexuality is provided in public 626
classrooms. 627
(s) Section 37-13-193, which relates to civil rights 628
and human rights education in the public schools. 629
(t) Sections 37-15-1 and 37-15-3, which relate to the 630
maintenance and transfer of permanent student records in public 631
schools. 632
(u) Section 37-15-6, which requires the State 633
Department of Education to maintain a record of expulsions from 634
the public schools. 635
(v) Section 37-15-9, which establishes minimum age 636
requirements for kindergarten and first grade enrollment in public 637
schools. 638
(w) Section 37-15-11, which requires a parent, legal 639
guardian or custodian to accompany a child seeking enrollment in a 640
public school. 641
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(x) Sections 37-16-1, 37-16-3, 37-16-4 and 37-16-9, 642
which relate to the statewide assessment testing program. 643
(y) Section 37-18-1, which establishes the 644
Superior-Performing Schools Program and Exemplary Schools Program 645
to recognize public schools that improve. 646
(z) Section 1 of this act, which requires all high 647
school students to pass a one-half (1/2) Carnegie unit credit 648
course in personal finance or a full Carnegie unit course where at 649
least one-half (1/2) of the course standards concern financial 650
literacy as a requirement for earning a high school diploma. 651
SECTION 5. Section 37-1-3, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 652
brought forward as follows: 653
37-1-3. (1) The State Board of Education shall adopt rules 654
and regulations and set standards and policies for the 655
organization, operation, management, planning, budgeting and 656
programs of the State Department of Education. 657
(a) The board is directed to identify all functions of 658
the department that contribute to or comprise a part of the state 659
system of educational accountability and to establish and maintain 660
within the department the necessary organizational structure, 661
policies and procedures for effectively coordinating such 662
functions. Such policies and procedures shall clearly fix and 663
delineate responsibilities for various aspects of the system and 664
for overall coordination of the total system and its effective 665
management. 666
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(b) The board shall establish and maintain a 667
system-wide plan of performance, policy and directions of public 668
education not otherwise provided for. 669
(c) The board shall effectively use the personnel and 670
resources of the department to enhance technical assistance to 671
school districts in instruction and management therein. 672
(d) The board shall establish and maintain a central 673
budget policy. 674
(e) The board shall establish and maintain within the 675
State Department of Education a central management capacity under 676
the direction of the State Superintendent of Public Education. 677
(f) The board, with recommendations from the 678
superintendent, shall design and maintain a five-year plan and 679
program for educational improvement that shall set forth 680
objectives for system performance and development and be the basis 681
for budget requests and legislative initiatives. 682
(2) (a) The State Board of Education shall adopt and 683
maintain a curriculum and a course of study to be used in the 684
public school districts that is designed to prepare the state's 685
children and youth to be productive, informed, creative citizens, 686
workers and leaders, and it shall regulate all matters arising in 687
the practical administration of the school system not otherwise 688
provided for. 689
(b) Before the 1999-2000 school year, the State Board 690
of Education shall develop personal living and finances objectives 691
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that focus on money management skills for individuals and families 692
for appropriate, existing courses at the secondary level. The 693
objectives must require the teaching of those skills necessary to 694
handle personal business and finances and must include instruction 695
in the following: 696
(i) Opening a bank account and assessing the 697
quality of a bank's services; 698
(ii) Balancing a checkbook; 699
(iii) Managing debt, including retail and credit 700
card debt; 701
(iv) Completing a loan application; 702
(v) The implications of an inheritance; 703
(vi) The basics of personal insurance policies; 704
(vii) Consumer rights and responsibilities; 705
(viii) Dealing with salesmen and merchants; 706
(ix) Computing state and federal income taxes; 707
(x) Local tax assessments; 708
(xi) Computing interest rates by various 709
mechanisms; 710
(xii) Understanding simple contracts; and 711
(xiii) Contesting an incorrect billing statement. 712
(3) The State Board of Education shall have authority to 713
expend any available federal funds, or any other funds expressly 714
designated, to pay training, educational expenses, salary 715
incentives and salary supplements to licensed teachers employed in 716
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ST: School curriculum; require course in
personal finance as graduation requirement.
local school districts or schools administered by the State Board 717
of Education. Such incentive payments shall not be considered 718
part of a school district's local supplement, nor shall the 719
incentives be considered part of the local supplement paid to an 720
individual teacher for the purposes of Section 37-19-7(1). 721
(4) The State Board of Education shall through its actions 722
seek to implement the policies set forth in Section 37-1-2. 723
SECTION 6. This act shall take effect and be in force from 724
and after July 1, 2026. 725