Appropriation; Education, Department of.

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To: Appropriations E;
Appropriations A
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026

By: Representatives Oliver, Read, Arnold,
Boyd (19th), Hines, Mangold, Massengill,
Roberson, Scoggin

HOUSE BILL NO. 1935
(As Sent to Governor)

AN ACT MAKING AN APPROPRIATION FOR THE PURPOSE OF FUNDING 1
K-12 AND OTHER RELATED EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES, INCLUDING CERTAIN 2
AGENCIES AND PROGRAMS, IN THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, FOR THE FISCAL 3
YEAR 2027. 4
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: 5
SECTION 1. The following sums, or so much of those sums as 6
may be necessary, are appropriated out of any money in the State 7
General Fund not otherwise appropriated, for the purpose of 8
funding K-12 and other related educational activities, including 9
certain agencies and programs, in the State of Mississippi, for 10
the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2026, and ending June 30, 2027, 11
as follows: 12
(a) To the State Board of Education for the purpose of 13
defraying the expenses of the State Department of Education, and 14
excluding the expenses of the Vocational and Technical Education 15
Division....................................... $ 136,378,817.00. 16
(b) To the State Board of Education for the purpose of 17
defraying the expenses of the Vocational and Technical Education 18
Division of the State Department of Education..................... 19
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.............................................. $ 92,478,543.00. 20
(c) To the State Board of Education for the purpose of 21
paying annual compensation to the Chickasaw Cession counties for 22
sixteenth section lands which they lost through sale by the state, 23
as provided in Sections 29-3-137 through 29-3-141, Mississippi 24
Code of 1972.................................. $ 21,623,074.00. 25
(d) To the State Board of Education for defraying the 26
expenses of the Mississippi Student Funding Formula............... 27
.............................................. $ 2,806,586,486.00. 28
TOTAL AMOUNT OF STATE GENERAL FUNDS APPROPRIATED 29
BY THIS SECTION BEING....................$ 3,057,066,920.00. 30
SECTION 2. The following sums, or so much of those sums as 31
may be necessary, are appropriated out of any money in any special 32
fund in the State Treasury to the credit of the proper fund or 33
funds of the agencies or programs specified in the following 34
paragraphs for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2026, and ending 35
June 30, 2027, as follows: 36
(a) To the State Board of Education for the purpose of 37
defraying the expenses of the State Department of Education, 38
excluding the expenses of the Vocational and Technical Education 39
Division...................................... $ 2,004,747,763.00. 40
(b) To the State Board of Education for the purpose of 41
defraying the expenses of the Vocational and Technical Education 42
Division of the State Department of Education..................... 43
.............................................. $ 22,725,318.00. 44
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(c) To the State Board of Education for the purpose of 45
defraying the expenses of the Mississippi Student Funding Formula. 46
.............................................. $ 268,025,562.00. 47
TOTAL AMOUNT OF SPECIAL FUNDS APPROPRIATED 48
BY THIS SECTION BEING.................... $ 2,295,498,643.00. 49
SECTION 3. Of the funds appropriated in Section 2, One 50
Hundred Twenty-six Thousand Four Hundred Seventy-two Dollars 51
($126,472.00), or so much of that sum as may be necessary, is 52
appropriated out of any money in the State Treasury to the credit 53
of the Health Care Expendable Fund to the State Department of 54
Education for the purpose of defraying the expenses of the 55
department for the Mississippi Eye Screening Program for providing 56
vision safety services. 57
SECTION 4. Of the funds appropriated in Section 2, the 58
following sums, or so much of those sums as may be necessary, are 59
derived out of any money in the State Treasury to the credit of 60
the Education Enhancement Fund pursuant to Sections 27-65-75 and 61
27-67-31, Mississippi Code of 1972, as follows: 62
(a) To the State Department of Education, excluding the 63
expenses of the Vocational and Technical Education Division, for 64
the following purposes: 65
Literacy Initiative and Assessment.......... $ 6,805,774.00 66
Educable Child.............................. $ 9,500,000.00 67
Grants to school districts for 68
capital facilities and buses........... $ 16,000,000.00 69
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Instructional materials..................... $ 25,000,000.00 70
Students with Special Needs................. $ 5,014,826.00 71
Implementing Performance-Based Data 72
Collection and Accreditation 73
Model.................................. $ 274,937.00 74
Testing..................................... $ 11,311,116.00 75
Mississippi School for Math and 76
Science................................ $ 1,131,000.00 77
Mississippi School for Fine Arts. .......... $ 927,632.00 78
Early Learning Collaboratives............... $ 21,210,526.00 79
Other Early Learning Programs............... $ 13,000,000.00 80
Early Learning Coaches...................... $ 3,251,533.00 81
Math Coaches................................ $ 5,000,000.00 82
WorkKeys.................................... $ 1,000,000.00 83
Advanced Placement, Dual Credits, 84
International Baccalaureate, 85
Cambridge Diploma Endorsements......... $ 300,000.00 86
Vocational Technical Grants................. $ 1,000,000.00 87
Mississippi School for the Deaf 88
and Blind.............................. $ 1,557,037.00 89
Mississippi Teacher Residency Program....... $ 3,500,000.00 90
TOTAL....................................... $ 125,784,381.00 91
(b) To the State Department of Education to defray the 92
expenses of the Vocational and Technical Education Division....... 93
................................................. $ 6,637,258.00. 94
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(c) To the State Department of Education to provide 95
funding for the Mississippi Student Funding Formula............... 96
................................................. $ 268,025,562.00. 97
SECTION 5. Of the funds appropriated under the provisions of 98
this act, not more than the following amount of funds, with the 99
exception of the provisions in this section, shall be expended 100
only for "Personal Services," which includes "Vacancy Funding," 101
for the following authorized number of employment headcount: 102
FUNDING: 103
General Funds: $ 25,471,446.00 104
Special Funds: $ 16,977,043.00 105
Total Funds: $ 42,448,489.00 106
PERSONAL SERVICES: 107
Employee Salaries, Wages and 108
Fringe Benefits: $ 35,486,795.00 109
Progressions: $ 613,282.00 110
Vacancy Funding: $ 6,348,412.00 111
Total Personal Services: $ 42,448,489.00 112
AUTHORIZED HEADCOUNT: 113
Permanent: 382 114
Time-Limited: 124 115
As used in this section, the term "Personal Services" shall 116
mean funds provided under the major object of expenditure category 117
Personal Services for Salaries, Wages, and Fringe Benefits. Funds 118
in this category shall not be transferred to any other category. 119
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It is the intention of the Legislature to ensure compliance 120
with the Variable Compensation Plan, as outlined in Section 121
25-9-147, Mississippi Code of 1972. Payment from these funds 122
shall be in accordance with the Variable Compensation Plan 123
promulgated by the Mississippi State Personnel Board. It is the 124
Legislature's intention that no employee's salary falls below the 125
minimum salary established by the Mississippi State Personnel 126
Board. 127
The State Personnel Board shall determine and publish the 128
projected annual cost of "Personal Services" based on monthly and 129
year-to-date payroll expenditures in compliance with the 130
provisions of this act. 131
With the funds herein appropriated, it shall be the agency's 132
responsibility to ensure that no single personnel action or 133
combination of personnel actions, when annualized, exceeds the 134
Fiscal Year 2027 appropriation for "Personal Services" with the 135
exception of escalated funds. Further, it shall be the agency's 136
responsibility to ensure that funds required to be appropriated 137
for "Personal Services" for Fiscal Year 2028 do not exceed Fiscal 138
Year 2027 funds appropriated for that purpose unless programs or 139
positions are added to the agency's Fiscal Year 2027 budget by the 140
Mississippi Legislature. 141
If, at the time the agency takes any action to change 142
"Personal Services," the State Personnel Board determines that the 143
agency has taken or will take an action that would cause the 144
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agency to exceed the funds appropriated in this act when 145
annualized for Fiscal Year 2027 or increase the need for "Personal 146
Services" for Fiscal Year 2028, when annualized, the State 147
Personnel Board shall process no salary actions until such time as 148
the requirements of the provisions of this section are met with 149
the exception of new hires determined to be essential for the 150
agency. 151
When used in this section, "Vacancy Funding" shall mean funds 152
included in the Total Personal Services amount listed above and 153
designated for approved vacancies in Fiscal Year 2027. These 154
funds are to be utilized to increase the number of filled 155
headcounts that were authorized but unfilled as of the last day of 156
Fiscal Year 2026. If the agency fills additional headcounts after 157
March 1, 2026, until the end of Fiscal Year 2026, the amount of 158
available Vacancy Funding may be proportionally adjusted to 159
reflect the updated number of filled headcounts. The agency shall 160
be responsible for ensuring that "Vacancy Funding" is used to 161
increase headcounts and not for promotions, title changes, 162
in-range salary adjustments, or any other mechanism for increasing 163
salaries for current employees. 164
Any transfers or escalations shall be made in accordance with 165
the terms, conditions, and procedures established by law or 166
allowable under the terms set forth within this act. The State 167
Personnel Board shall not escalate positions or increase the 168
Personal Services total without written approval from the 169
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Department of Finance and Administration. The Department of 170
Finance and Administration shall not provide written approval to 171
escalate any funds for salaries and/or headcounts without proof of 172
availability of new or additional funds above the appropriated 173
level. Unless specifically noted, all Fiscal Year 2026 escalated 174
headcounts have been accounted for and shall be converted to 175
authorized time-limited headcounts. 176
No general funds authorized to be expended herein shall be 177
used to replace federal funds and/or other special funds used for 178
salaries authorized under the provisions of this act and which are 179
withdrawn and no longer available. 180
None of the funds herein appropriated shall be used in 181
violation of the Internal Revenue Service's Publication 15-A 182
relating to the reporting of income paid to contract employees, as 183
interpreted by the Office of the State Auditor. 184
If the agency's total authorized headcount decreases from 185
Fiscal Year 2026 to Fiscal Year 2027, it will be the agency's 186
discretion as to what headcounts are removed. 187
With the funds herein appropriated, the Legislature has 188
authorized progressions for attendance officers employed by the 189
department in order to support a Five Thousand Dollar ($5,000.00) 190
increase in the salaries authorized in general law for eligible 191
employees. 192
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The Legislature authorized fifty-two (52) new headcount, 193
which is included in the authorized headcount above for Fiscal 194
Year 2027. 195
New Headcount Titles Authorized: 196
Education Program Specialist Job Classification (40) 197
General Management Job Classification (3) 198
School Attendance Officer Job Classification (9) 199
SECTION 6. In compliance with the "Mississippi Performance 200
Budget and Strategic Planning Act of 1994," it is the intent of 201
the Legislature that the funds provided in this act shall be 202
utilized in the most efficient and effective manner possible to 203
achieve the intended mission of the State Department of Education, 204
excluding the expenses of the Vocational and Technical Education 205
Division. Based on the funding authorized, this agency shall make 206
every effort to attain the targeted performance measures provided 207
below: 208
FY2027 209
Performance Measures Target 210
Special Education 211
Number of Special Education Teachers (FTE) 6,500 212
Number of Gifted Education Teachers 750 213
Percent of Children with Disabilities in 214
General Education Early Childhood 215
Programs while Decreasing the Percent in 216
Self-Contained Special Education Early 217
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Childhood Classrooms 76.00 218
General Administration 219
Total Dollars Spent on General 220
Administration 16,000,000.00 221
Percent of Total Budget Spent on General 222
Administration 10.00 223
Create a Public-Facing Data System for 224
All Stakeholders 100.00 225
Create a User-Friendly Website for the 226
Public and School Districts to Access 227
Data to Make Decisions 100.00 228
Create a Roadmap to Improve the 229
Mississippi Student Information System 100.00 230
Number of Research Results Published to 231
Support Improved Student Outcomes and 232
Teacher Effectiveness 9 233
Graduation & Career Readiness 234
Percent of Students Graduating from High 235
School Ready for College or Career in 236
Each Subgroup 100.00 237
Early Childhood Education 238
Percent of Kindergarten Students 239
Achieving End-Of-Year Target Score on 240
Kindergarten Readiness Post-Test 100.00 241
Percent of Early Learning Collaborative 242
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Sites Meeting Required Rate of Readiness 100.00 243
Number of Students Enrolled in Title I 244
or Locally Funded Pre-K Classes 3,500 245
Teacher Tng & Professional Dev 246
Reduce the Proportion of Inexperienced 247
and Non-Certified Teachers in Schools 31.00 248
Percent of Districts Reporting 249
Professional Growth System (PGS) Ratings 250
for Teachers and Leaders 100.00 251
Percent of Teacher Candidates Passing 252
Licensure Exams on the First Attempt 75.00 253
Elementary Education 254
Percent Increase of Students who Pass 255
the 3rd Grade Reading Assessment at the 256
First Administration in Each Subgroup 78.00 257
Secondary Education 258
Increase the Number of Students 259
Participating in and Passing Advanced 260
Placement (AP), International 261
Baccalaureate (IB) and Cambridge Exams 262
in Each Subgroup 60.00 263
Percent of Students Ready for College as 264
Measured by Meeting ACT Benchmarks in 265
Each Content Area (Public School Class 266
Data, Grade 11) 90.00 267
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Assessment & Development 268
Percent of Students Proficient (Levels 269
4-5) on Statewide Assessments (Grades 270
3-8 & High School Composite) in Each 271
Subgroup 80.00 272
Percent of Students Scoring Levels 1-3 273
on Statewide Assessments in Each 274
Subgroup 20.00 275
Percent of Pre-Kindergarten Students in 276
Public Schools Attaining Kindergarten 277
Readiness on the Pre-K End-Of-Year 278
Assessment 90.00 279
School Performance 280
Percent of Schools Rated "C" or Higher 90.00 281
Percent of Districts Rated "C" or Higher 90.00 282
Percent of Students Demonstrating Growth 283
on Statewide ELA Assessments in Each 284
Subgroup 70.00 285
Percent of Students Demonstrating Growth 286
on Statewide Math Assessments in Each 287
Subgroup 75.00 288
Percent of Students Participating in 289
Dual Credit in Each Subgroup 60.00 290
Percent of Students Passing Dual Credit 291
in Each Subgroup 98.00 292
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Increase the Growth of D and F Districts 293
Demonstrating Growth, by Improving the 294
Letter Grade and/or Increasing the 295
Number of Points within a Letter Grade 80.00 296
Increase the Growth of D and F Schools 297
by Improving the Letter Grade and/or 298
Increasing the Number of Points within a 299
Letter Grade 80.00 300
Increase the Growth of Districts of 301
Transformation by Improving the Letter 302
Grade and/or Increasing the Number of 303
Points within a Letter Grade 100.00 304
Increase the Growth of Schools Under 305
Districts of Transformation by Improving 306
the Letter Grade and/or Increasing the 307
Number of Points within a Letter Grade 100.00 308
Number of High Schools Rated D or F 10 309
A reporting of the degree to which the performance targets 310
set above have been or are being achieved shall be provided in the 311
agency's budget request submitted to the Joint Legislative Budget 312
Committee for Fiscal Year 2028. 313
SECTION 7. No school district shall expend any funds, 314
received under the School Ad Valorem Reduction Grant, unless such 315
school district has specifically identified the amount of the 316
grant within the published budget as required by Section 37-61-9, 317
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Mississippi Code of 1972. The published budget shall include the 318
following statement: "Ad Valorem taxes will be $________ less as 319
a result of the Ad Valorem Reduction Grants enacted by the 320
Mississippi Legislature in 1992." 321
SECTION 8. Of the funds appropriated in Section 2, funds in 322
the amount of One Million Dollars ($1,000,000.00) shall come from 323
income derived from the principal of the Education Improvement 324
Trust Fund created by Section 206A, Mississippi Constitution of 325
1890, and One Million Dollars ($1,000,000.00) shall be used for 326
the School for Math and Science. 327
SECTION 9. Of the funds appropriated under the provisions of 328
this act, not more than the following amount of funds, with the 329
exception of the provisions in this section, shall be expended 330
only for "Personal Services," which includes "Vacancy Funding," 331
for the following authorized number of employment headcount: 332
FUNDING: 333
General Funds: $ 3,560,928.00 334
Special Funds: $ 503,683.00 335
Total Funds: $ 4,064,611.00 336
PERSONAL SERVICES: 337
Employee Salaries, Wages and 338
Fringe Benefits: $ 3,658,150.00 339
Progressions: $ 0.00 340
Vacancy Funding: $ 406,461.00 341
Total Personal Services: $ 4,064,611.00 342
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AUTHORIZED HEADCOUNT: 343
Permanent: 48 344
Time-Limited: 5 345
As used in this section, the term "Personal Services" shall 346
mean funds provided under the major object of expenditure category 347
Personal Services for Salaries, Wages, and Fringe Benefits. Funds 348
in this category shall not be transferred to any other category. 349
It is the intention of the Legislature to ensure compliance 350
with the Variable Compensation Plan, as outlined in Section 351
25-9-147, Mississippi Code of 1972. Payment from these funds 352
shall be in accordance with the Variable Compensation Plan 353
promulgated by the Mississippi State Personnel Board. It is the 354
Legislature's intention that no employee's salary falls below the 355
minimum salary established by the Mississippi State Personnel 356
Board. 357
The State Personnel Board shall determine and publish the 358
projected annual cost of "Personal Services" based on monthly and 359
year-to-date payroll expenditures in compliance with the 360
provisions of this act. 361
With the funds herein appropriated, it shall be the agency's 362
responsibility to ensure that no single personnel action or 363
combination of personnel actions, when annualized, exceeds the 364
Fiscal Year 2027 appropriation for "Personal Services" with the 365
exception of escalated funds. Further, it shall be the agency's 366
responsibility to ensure that funds required to be appropriated 367
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for "Personal Services" for Fiscal Year 2028 do not exceed Fiscal 368
Year 2027 funds appropriated for that purpose unless programs or 369
positions are added to the agency's Fiscal Year 2027 budget by the 370
Mississippi Legislature. 371
If, at the time the agency takes any action to change 372
"Personal Services," the State Personnel Board determines that the 373
agency has taken or will take an action that would cause the 374
agency to exceed the funds appropriated in this act when 375
annualized for Fiscal Year 2027 or increase the need for "Personal 376
Services" for Fiscal Year 2028, when annualized, the State 377
Personnel Board shall process no salary actions until such time as 378
the requirements of the provisions of this section are met with 379
the exception of new hires determined to be essential for the 380
agency. 381
When used in this section, "Vacancy Funding" shall mean funds 382
included in the Total Personal Services amount listed above and 383
designated for approved vacancies in Fiscal Year 2027. These 384
funds are to be utilized to increase the number of filled 385
headcounts that were authorized but unfilled as of the last day of 386
Fiscal Year 2026. If the agency fills additional headcounts after 387
March 1, 2026, until the end of Fiscal Year 2026, the amount of 388
available Vacancy Funding may be proportionally adjusted to 389
reflect the updated number of filled headcounts. The agency shall 390
be responsible for ensuring that "Vacancy Funding" is used to 391
increase headcounts and not for promotions, title changes, 392
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in-range salary adjustments, or any other mechanism for increasing 393
salaries for current employees. 394
Any transfers or escalations shall be made in accordance with 395
the terms, conditions, and procedures established by law or 396
allowable under the terms set forth within this act. The State 397
Personnel Board shall not escalate positions or increase the 398
Personal Services total without written approval from the 399
Department of Finance and Administration. The Department of 400
Finance and Administration shall not provide written approval to 401
escalate any funds for salaries and/or headcounts without proof of 402
availability of new or additional funds above the appropriated 403
level. Unless specifically noted, all Fiscal Year 2026 escalated 404
headcounts have been accounted for and shall be converted to 405
authorized time-limited headcounts. 406
No general funds authorized to be expended herein shall be 407
used to replace federal funds and/or other special funds used for 408
salaries authorized under the provisions of this act and which are 409
withdrawn and no longer available. 410
None of the funds herein appropriated shall be used in 411
violation of the Internal Revenue Service's Publication 15-A 412
relating to the reporting of income paid to contract employees, as 413
interpreted by the Office of the State Auditor. 414
If the agency's total authorized headcount decreases from 415
Fiscal Year 2026 to Fiscal Year 2027, it will be the agency's 416
discretion as to what headcounts are removed. 417
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SECTION 10. Of the funds appropriated in this act, an amount 418
not to exceed One Million Twenty-three Thousand Five Hundred 419
Seventy-four Dollars ($1,023,574.00) is authorized for the support 420
of vocational and technical education programs as authorized in 421
Section 37-31-13, Mississippi Code of 1972, for a period in excess 422
of ten (10) months in a calendar year. 423
SECTION 11. It is the intention of the Legislature that the 424
Vocational and Technical Education Division of the State 425
Department of Education shall, with the funds appropriated in 426
Section 1, transfer no more than Seventy-five Thousand Dollars 427
($75,000.00) to the Mississippi Soil and Water Conservation 428
Commission for the purpose of providing matching funds to purchase 429
soil conservation equipment. 430
SECTION 12. Of the funds appropriated in Section 1(a), no 431
more than One Hundred Seventy-five Thousand Dollars ($175,000.00) 432
is provided for the purpose of supporting the Future Farmers of 433
America Center. 434
SECTION 13. The State Department of Education shall transfer 435
the designated amounts to the appropriate entities, which shall 436
assume full responsibility for the expenditure of these funds in 437
accordance with state laws and accept all responsibility for any 438
improper expenditure, for the following: 439
Detention Centers................................. $ 3,000,000.00. 440
Dyslexia Program.................................. $ 225,000.00. 441
Magnolia Speech School............................ $ 1,000,000.00. 442
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Sight Savers...................................... $ 475,000.00. 443
Algebra Nation.................................... $ 950,000.00. 444
Teacher Corp and Principal Corp................... $ 300,000.00. 445
Vision Screening Research......................... $ 325,000.00. 446
Lighthouse Academy for Dyslexia................... $ 200,000.00. 447
Mississippi Construction Education Program........ $ 212,500.00. 448
T. K. Martin Center............................... $ 100,000.00. 449
ACT Prep.......................................... $ 350,000.00. 450
Reading Clinic.................................... $ 700,000.00. 451
TOTAL............................................. $ 7,837,500.00. 452
SECTION 14. It is the intention of the Legislature that of 453
the funds provided for Other Early Learning Programs in Section 454
4(a), Thirteen Million Dollars ($13,000,000.00) is included for 455
the Mississippi Department of Education to provide grant 456
opportunities for Other Early Learning Programs through public 457
schools including other public school preschool programs not 458
participating in Early Learning Collaboratives. 459
SECTION 15. Of the funds appropriated in this act, an amount 460
not to exceed One Million Five Hundred Thousand Dollars 461
($1,500,000.00) shall be used for technological methods for 462
agricultural programs, computer science, engineering or robotic 463
engineering programs and equipment upgrades and Mississippi 464
Elementary (ME) STEM and STEAM programs from the Career and 465
Technical Education Division of the State Department of Education. 466
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All programs must meet Mississippi Science Standards and/or 467
College and Career Standards. 468
Of the funds appropriated in this section, an amount not to 469
exceed One Million Dollars ($1,000,000.00) shall be distributed to 470
the Mississippi State University Center for Cyber Education and 471
used for computer science programs development and teacher 472
training for elementary schools, middle schools, and high schools 473
for the purpose of developing K-12 computer science curricula, 474
including both academic and career and technical education 475
programs, developing and delivering teacher training, and working 476
with the State Board of Education and Institutions of Higher 477
Learning in the state to develop teacher preparation programs for 478
computer science endorsements. All programs must meet the 2018 479
Mississippi Computer Science Standards and/or Mississippi College 480
and Career Standards. 481
SECTION 16. It is the intention of the Legislature that 482
computer science courses may be taught by certified teacher or for 483
elementary level classes, computer science courses may be taught 484
by teachers who are trained by the district in computer science 485
instruction. 486
SECTION 17. Of the funds appropriated in Section 1, the sum 487
of Sixty-two Thousand One Hundred Ninety-one Dollars ($62,191.00), 488
which is the aggregate sum that the school districts in the 489
Chickasaw Cession receive annually from interest payments from the 490
Chickasaw School Fund under Section 212, Mississippi Constitution 491
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of 1890, shall be deducted from the allocations to the school 492
districts as provided in Section 29-3-137, Mississippi Code of 493
1972, and shall be distributed among the school districts in the 494
Chickasaw Cession by the State Department of Education in the 495
manner that those interest payments were distributed during Fiscal 496
Year 1985. 497
SECTION 18. Of the funds provided in this act for the 498
purpose of funding the Mississippi Student Funding Formula, the 499
Student Base Amount in Fiscal Year 2027 shall be Seven Thousand 500
Two Hundred One Dollars and Seventy-seven Cents ($7,201.77). 501
SECTION 19. With the funds provided in this act, it is the 502
intention of the Legislature that School Attendance Officers and 503
academic teachers at the Mississippi School for the Deaf and the 504
Mississippi School for the Blind shall receive their annual 505
increment. 506
SECTION 20. It is the intention of the Legislature that the 507
State Board of Education shall maintain complete accounting and 508
personnel records related to the expenditure of all funds 509
appropriated in this act and that those records shall be in the 510
same format and level of detail as maintained for Fiscal Year 511
2026. It is further the intention of the Legislature that the 512
budget requests for Fiscal Year 2028 shall be submitted to the 513
Joint Legislative Budget Committee in a format and level of detail 514
comparable to the format and level of detail provided during the 515
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Fiscal Year 2027 budget request process for each agency and 516
institution appropriated funds within the provisions of this act. 517
SECTION 21. Of the funds appropriated in Section 1(a) to the 518
State Board of Education, not less than Twenty-four Million Eighty 519
Thousand Dollars ($24,080,000.00) shall be used for National Board 520
Certification. Of this amount, Seven Hundred Thousand Dollars 521
($700,000.00) shall be used for the World Class Teacher Program 522
providing instruction and assistance to teachers seeking National 523
Board Certification. 524
SECTION 22. Of the funds appropriated in Section 1 and 525
Section 4(a) not less than Seventeen Million Five Hundred 526
Fifty-eight Thousand Dollars ($17,558,000.00) shall be used for 527
the Educable Child Program. It is the intention of the 528
Legislature that the State Board of Education shall allocate 529
funding for the Educable Child Program based upon a recalculated 530
formula in a manner to include only those billable days funded 531
through appropriation of state funds and not District funds. It 532
is the intent of the Legislature that the Educable Child funds 533
shall be exempt from budget cuts made to the Department of 534
Education by the Legislature and/or the Office of the Governor. 535
SECTION 23. Of the funds appropriated in Section 4(a), not 536
less than Five Million Fourteen Thousand Eight Hundred Twenty-six 537
Dollars ($5,014,826.00) shall be used for the Education 538
Scholarship Account (ESA) Program. It is the intent of the 539
Legislature that the Education Scholarship Account (ESA) funds 540
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shall not be reduced by the State Department of Education and/or 541
the Office of the Governor. 542
SECTION 24. The public school districts of the state are 543
authorized at their discretion to pay with local funds one hundred 544
percent (100%) of the cost of the health insurance premiums of the 545
State and School Employees Health Insurance Plan for all retired 546
members of the Public Employees' Retirement System who are 547
employed as school bus drivers by the school districts. It is the 548
intention of the Legislature that no state funds shall be used for 549
this purpose. 550
SECTION 25. It is the intention of the Legislature that 551
whenever two (2) or more bids are received by this agency for the 552
purchase of commodities or equipment, and whenever all things 553
stated in those received bids are equal with respect to price, 554
quality and service, the Mississippi Industries for the Blind 555
shall be given preference. A similar preference shall be given to 556
the Mississippi Industries for the Blind whenever purchases are 557
made without competitive bids. 558
SECTION 26. Of the funds appropriated in Section 1, not less 559
than Seven Million Three Hundred Eighty-three Thousand Seven 560
Hundred Four Dollars ($7,383,704.00) shall be used for the 561
Compulsory School Attendance Office and Student Success and 562
Graduation Coaches to employ (1) one school attendance officer for 563
every four thousand (4,000) compulsory-school-aged children, as 564
defined in Section 37-13-91(2)(f), Mississippi Code of 1972. 565
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SECTION 27. Of the funds appropriated in this act, it is the 566
intention of the Legislature that Three Million Sixty Thousand 567
Dollars ($3,060,000.00) shall be used for the Mary 568
Kirkpatrick-Mary Sprayberry Public School Nurse Program. The 569
amount of Three Million Sixty Thousand Dollars ($3,060,000.00) is 570
provided from the Department of Health. 571
SECTION 28. It is the intention of the Legislature that the 572
State Board of Education shall charge a fee for room and board for 573
students who enroll in the Mississippi School for Mathematics and 574
Science and the Mississippi School of Arts. Such fees will be 575
waived for any student enrolled in the State Children's Health 576
Insurance Program. The amount of such fees shall be Five Hundred 577
Dollars ($500.00) for each semester. 578
SECTION 29. It is the intent of the Legislature that each 579
eligible employee who meets the National Board requirements under 580
Section 37-19-7(2), Mississippi Code of 1972, shall be paid the 581
full supplement and that such supplement shall be included on a 582
prorated basis in the employee's monthly paycheck. 583
SECTION 30. It is the intention of the Legislature that the 584
Mississippi Department of Education may loan any general or 585
special source fund amount, not to exceed Five Million Dollars 586
($5,000,000.00), to any school district for the purpose of 587
providing funds to school districts through the Emergency 588
Assistance Fund as outlined in Section 37-17-6, Mississippi Code 589
of 1972, during the period beginning July 1, 2026, and ending 590
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June 30, 2027. The school districts receiving these loans shall 591
repay the Mississippi Department of Education the amount of the 592
loan on or before June 30, 2027. 593
SECTION 31. Of the funds appropriated in Section 1(a), Two 594
Million One Hundred Sixty-five Thousand Two Hundred Ninety Dollars 595
($2,165,290.00) is provided for the operation of a State-Wide 596
Synchronous Instructional Project. 597
SECTION 32. Of the funds appropriated in Section 1(a), Seven 598
Hundred Thousand Dollars ($700,000.00) shall be transferred to the 599
Board of Health no later than December 31, 2026. 600
SECTION 33. Any school district receiving funds through Save 601
the Children may provide a ten percent (10%) match from local 602
funds for implementation of the program. 603
SECTION 34. Of the funds appropriated in Section 1(a), Two 604
Million Dollars ($2,000,000.00) is provided for the Mississippi 605
Community Oriented Policing Services in Schools (MCOPS) grant 606
program. A portion of these funds not to exceed one percent (1%) 607
may be used for training and administrative costs related to 608
oversight and auditing of the program. 609
SECTION 35. Of the funds appropriated in Section 1(a) and 610
Section 2(a), Twenty-nine Million Dollars ($29,000,000.00) is 611
provided for an Early Childhood Education Initiative program. The 612
funding shall be provided to early learning collaboratives in 613
Fiscal Year 2027 as follows: no less than Two Thousand Five 614
Hundred Dollars ($2,500.00) per student in a full-day program and 615
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no less than One Thousand Two Hundred Fifty Dollars ($1,250.00) 616
per student in a half-day program. Funds must be matched as 617
provided by Section 37-21-51, Mississippi Code of 1972. 618
SECTION 36. Of the funds appropriated in Section 1(a) and 619
Section 4(a), Twenty-four Million Ninety-four Thousand Five 620
Hundred Dollars ($24,094,500.00) shall be used for the Literacy 621
Initiative and Assessment and monitoring and evaluating the 622
adoption and implementation of high-quality instructional 623
materials that have been reviewed through the approved state 624
process and distributed through regional textbook depository as 625
outlined in Section 37-43-23, Mississippi Code of 1972. 626
SECTION 37. Of the funds appropriated herein, funding is 627
provided for the ACT test, which is the college readiness portion 628
of the state accountability model. 629
SECTION 38. Of the funds appropriated in Section 1(a), Two 630
Million Eight Hundred Eleven Thousand Four Hundred Seventy-four 631
Dollars ($2,811,474.00) shall be used for the Mississippi School 632
of the Arts and Four Million One Hundred Twelve Thousand Nine 633
Hundred Four Dollars ($4,112,904.00) shall be used for the 634
Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science. It is the 635
intention of the Legislature that of the funds appropriated in 636
Section 1(a) for the Mississippi School of the Arts, One Million 637
Four Hundred Five Thousand Seven Hundred Thirty-seven Dollars 638
($1,405,737.00) shall be paid to the school no later than July 10, 639
2026, and One Million Four Hundred Five Thousand Seven Hundred 640
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Thirty-seven Dollars ($1,405,737.00) shall be paid no later than 641
January 10, 2027. All funds appropriated from Section 4(a) for 642
the Mississippi School of the Arts shall be paid to the school 643
each month within ten (10) working days after such amount was 644
received by the Department of Education. It is the intention of 645
the Legislature that the State Board of Education shall not reduce 646
the appropriated amounts provided in this act for the Mississippi 647
School of the Arts and the Mississippi School for Mathematics and 648
Science. 649
SECTION 39. Of the funds appropriated in Section 1(b) and 650
Section 2(b), Five Hundred Thousand Dollars ($500,000.00) is 651
provided for career and technical grants to schools for qualified 652
students as authorized by Section 37-153-15, Mississippi Code of 653
1972. 654
SECTION 40. Of the funds appropriated in this act, the 655
following amounts shall be available to the Schools for the Blind 656
and Deaf: Ten Million Seven Hundred Eleven Thousand Nine Hundred 657
Nineteen Dollars ($10,711,919.00) from Section 1(a), One Million 658
Five Hundred Fifty-seven Thousand Thirty-seven Dollars 659
($1,557,037.00) from Section 4(a), and Two Million Four Hundred 660
Fifty-nine Thousand Seven Hundred Twenty-five Dollars 661
($2,459,725.00) from Section 2(a). 662
SECTION 41. Of the funds appropriated in this act, an amount 663
not to exceed Four Million Two Hundred Thirty-eight Thousand Five 664
Hundred Twenty-five Dollars ($4,238,525.00) is authorized to fully 665
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fund the contract between the Department of Education and the 666
Research & Curriculum Unit at Mississippi State University to fund 667
career and technical curricula, services to secondary schools and 668
career and technical assessments. 669
SECTION 42. Of the funds appropriated in Section 1(b) to the 670
State Board of Education, Six Hundred Fifty-one Thousand Nine 671
Hundred Thirty-four Dollars ($651,934.00) is provided for 672
secondary career and technical education instructors teaching at 673
post-secondary institutions. 674
SECTION 43. In addition to all other funds appropriated 675
herein, the following sum, or so much thereof as may be necessary, 676
is hereby appropriated out of any money in the State Treasury to 677
the credit of the Charter School Authorizer Board for operational 678
expenses for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2026, and ending 679
June 30, 2027..................................... $ 1,403,231.00. 680
SECTION 44. Of the funds appropriated in Section 1(b), One 681
Million Four Hundred Thirty-two Thousand Eight Hundred Seventy-two 682
Dollars ($1,432,872.00) shall be provided for new Career and 683
Technical Education Programs as determined by the Division of 684
Vocational and Technical Education at the Mississippi Department 685
of Education. Of the funds appropriated to the department for 686
these programs, no amount shall be expended by the department to 687
defray administrative costs. 688
SECTION 45. The Mississippi Department of Education shall 689
provide an annual report detailing the funding of industry 690
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certifications and the anticipated industry certifications that 691
will be achieved in the upcoming fiscal year to the Legislative 692
Budget Office and the Legislature no later than January 15, 2027. 693
SECTION 46. The following sum, or so much thereof as may be 694
necessary, is reappropriated out of any money in the Education 695
Enhancement Fund not otherwise appropriated, for the Mississippi 696
Department of Education for the purpose of reauthorizing the 697
expenditure of Education Enhancement Funds as authorized in House 698
Bill No. 42, 2025 First Extraordinary Session, for the fiscal year 699
beginning July 1, 2026, and ending June 30, 2027.................. 700
.................................................. $ 40,460,115.00. 701
This reappropriation is made for the purpose of reauthorizing 702
the expenditure of funds as allocated herein: 703
a. Instructional Materials.................. $ 6,079,481.00. 704
b. Early Learning Collaboratives............ $ 20,935,632.00. 705
c. Other Early Learning Programs............ $ 13,445,002.00. 706
Notwithstanding the amount reappropriated under this section, 707
the amount that may be expended under the authority of this 708
section shall not exceed the unexpended balance of the funds 709
remaining as of June 30, 2026, from the amount authorized for the 710
previous fiscal year. In addition, this reappropriation shall not 711
change the purpose for which the funds were originally authorized. 712
SECTION 47. Of the funds appropriated in Section 1(a), One 713
Hundred Twenty-one Thousand Dollars ($121,000.00) is provided to 714
the Department of Education to incorporate financial literacy 715
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components within the existing curriculum offered in grades 6-8 in 716
accordance with the J.P. Wilemon, Jr., Financial Literacy Act. 717
SECTION 48. Of the funds appropriated in Section 1(a), 718
Fourteen Million Six Hundred Eight Thousand Two Hundred Nine 719
Dollars ($14,608,209.00) is provided for a Two Thousand Dollar 720
($2,000.00) annual salary supplement for each licensed special 721
education teacher employed by a school district on a full-time 722
basis and specifically providing special education instruction. 723
SECTION 49. Of the funds appropriated in Section 1 (b), an 724
amount not to exceed Five Million Eight Hundred Eighty-seven 725
Thousand Four Hundred Ninety-seven Dollars ($5,887,497.00) shall 726
be allocated for the purpose of providing funds to each public 727
school district in the state for Career and Technical Education 728
teachers as prescribed in the Minimum Salary Schedule in Section 729
37-19-7, Mississippi Code of 1972, for the 2026-2027 school year 730
and school years thereafter. 731
SECTION 50. Of the funds appropriated in Section 1 (a), Nine 732
Million Dollars ($9,000,000.00) is provided for the implementation 733
and operation of an Adolescent Literacy Initiative. 734
SECTION 51. Of the funds appropriated in Section 1 (a), 735
Three Million Four Hundred Eighty Thousand Dollars ($3,480,000.00) 736
is provided for the implementation and operation of the 737
Mississippi Math Act, including the Moving Mathematics in 738
Mississippi Program. 739
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ST: Appropriation; Education, Department of.
SECTION 52. Of the funds appropriated in Section 1 (a), One 740
Hundred Forty-seven Thousand Six Hundred Seventy-eight Dollars 741
($147,678.00) is provided to fund a Two Thousand Dollar 742
($2,000.00) salary supplement for licensed occupational therapists 743
within public school districts. 744
SECTION 53. Of the funds appropriated in Section 1 (a), 745
Sixty-eight Thousand Six Hundred Seven Dollars ($68,607.00) is 746
provided to fund a Two Thousand Dollar ($2,000.00) salary 747
supplement for licensed school psychologists within public school 748
districts. 749
SECTION 54. It is the intent of the Legislature that each 750
eligible professional school counselor employee who meets the year 751
of teaching experience requirements under Section 37-151-5(m), 752
Mississippi Code of 1972, shall be considered having a year of 753
experience for purposes of the annual experience salary increment. 754
SECTION 55. The money appropriated in this act shall be paid 755
by the State Treasurer out of any money in the proper fund or 756
funds as set forth in this act, upon warrants issued by the State 757
Fiscal Officer; and the State Fiscal Officer shall issue warrants 758
upon requisitions signed by the proper person, officer or officers 759
in the manner provided by law. 760
SECTION 56. This act shall take effect and be in force from 761
and after July 1, 2026. 762