Education Efficiency Act; create to establish the School District Administrative Efficiency and Joinder Task Force.

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To: Education
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026

By: Representative Roberson

HOUSE BILL NO. 608

AN ACT TO CREATE THE "EDUCATION EFFICIENCY ACT"; TO CREATE 1
THE SCHOOL DISTRICT ADMINISTRATIVE EFFICIENCY AND JOINDER TASK 2
FORCE TO STUDY THE URGENT NEED OF PROVIDING HOLISTIC EDUCATIONAL 3
EFFICIENCY AND OPPORTUNITIES TO SCHOOL DISTRICTS THROUGHOUT THE 4
STATE OF MISSISSIPPI; TO PROVIDE FOR THE COMPOSITION OF THE TASK 5
FORCE AND SPECIFY ITS PURPOSE AND DUTIES; TO SPECIFY CERTAIN DATA 6
THAT MUST BE COMPILED IN A REPORT ON THE STUDY WHICH MUST BE 7
SUBMITTED TO THE LEGISLATURE BEFORE DECEMBER 31, 2026; AND FOR 8
RELATED PURPOSES. 9
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: 10
SECTION 1. This act may be cited and shall be known as the 11
"Education Efficiency Act". 12
SECTION 2. (1) There is hereby created the School District 13
Administrative Efficiency and Joinder Task Force 14
to study the urgent need of providing holistic educational 15
efficiency and opportunities to school districts throughout the 16
State of Mississippi, with particular emphasis on evaluation and 17
assessments in those counties having two (2) or more school 18
districts situated therein and those school districts whose 19
boundaries are situated within two (2) counties, for the purpose 20
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of determining how to substantially reduce the number of school 21
districts within the state. 22
(2) (a) The task force shall consist of the following 23
fifteen (15) members: 24
(i) The Chairman and Vice Chairman of the House 25
Education Committee; 26
(ii) The Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Senate 27
Education Committee; 28
(iii) The Chairman and Vice Chairman of the House 29
Accountability, Efficiency, Transparency Committee; 30
(iv) The Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Senate 31
Accountability, Efficiency, Transparency Committee; 32
(v) The Chairman and Vice Chairman of the House 33
State Affairs Committee; 34
(vi) The Chairman and Vice Chairman of the House 35
Appropriations Committee; 36
(vii) A member of the Mississippi Senate, 37
appointed by the Lieutenant Governor; 38
(viii) The State Superintendent of Public 39
Education, or his or her designee; 40
(ix) Three (3) members of the Standing Commission 41
on School District Efficiency, to be appointed by the State Board 42
Education, with one (1) being selected from each Mississippi 43
Supreme Court District; 44
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(x) The Commissioner of Higher Education, or his 45
or her appointee; 46
(xi) The Executive Director of the Mississippi 47
Community College Board, or his or her appointee; and 48
(xii) The Commissioner of Revenue, or his or her 49
appointee. 50
(b) The Chairman of the House Education Committee and 51
the Chairman of the Senate Education Committee shall serve as 52
co-chairs of the task force, who shall jointly convene the first 53
meeting of the task force within twenty (20) days of the effective 54
date of this act, and at said meeting, shall elect any additional 55
officers from among its membership deemed necessary for the 56
efficient discharge of the task force's duties. 57
(3) The task force shall adopt rules and regulations 58
governing times and places for meetings and governing the manner 59
of conducting its business. A majority of the members shall 60
constitute a quorum for the purpose of conducting any business of 61
the task force, and a majority vote of all members present shall 62
be required for any recommendations to the Legislature. 63
(4) (a) Using existing staff of the State Department of 64
Education, the task force shall compile the most recent data 65
available which reflects the following: 66
(i) The total public school student population for 67
the entire State of Mississippi; 68
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(ii) The total number of students enrolled in the 69
public school system in each county; 70
(iii) The names of each school district situated 71
within each county, the total number of students enrolled in those 72
school districts and the net enrollment of students in those 73
school districts; 74
(iv) The total and per pupil administrative costs 75
of each school district, using the same funds, functions and 76
objects that the department is required to use under Section 77
37-151-203(1)(d) in the annual determination of the base student 78
cost under the Mississippi Student Funding Formula; 79
(v) The density classifications of each school 80
district required under Section 3-151-85 for purposes of 81
determining the district's transportation costs using the scale of 82
allowable costs developed by the department; 83
(vi) The total number of sparsely populated 84
districts, as defined under Section 37-151-201, in the state; 85
(vii) The accreditation level of each school 86
district; and 87
(viii) Such other objective information that may 88
be deemed relevant by the task force in addressing the issue of 89
the holistic educational efficiency and opportunities of school 90
districts. 91
(b) The information gathered by the task force under 92
this subsection shall be compiled and presented, by county, in a 93
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user friendly format that easily allows for comparisons to be made 94
between school districts under each category of information. 95
(5) In addition to the data compiled under subsection (1) of 96
this section, the task force shall include the following 97
information: 98
(a) An in-depth analysis of all matters that must be 99
considered in determining whether or not reducing the number of 100
school districts in the state would be feasible or advantageous; 101
(b) A list of the benefits and disadvantages of 102
reducing or not reducing the number of school districts in each 103
specific county having two (2) or more school districts; 104
(c) A projection of the most feasible minimum size of a 105
school district which is capable of promoting a wholesome 106
educational experience, complete with advanced placement courses, 107
athletics and other extracurricular activities; 108
(d) A projection of the savings in state and local 109
funding which would be achieved through the consolidation of 110
school districts in each specific county having two (2) or more 111
school districts; and 112
(e) A recommended procedure to accomplish the 113
consolidation of school districts in each specific county having 114
two (2) or more school districts and a reasonable time frame in 115
which the consolidation could be achieved. 116
(6) In order to quantify and affirm the number of school 117
districts necessary within the state, if determined that single 118
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county school districts are not in the best interest of the 119
children and families of this state, the department shall use the 120
following criterion: 121
(a) An assessment of the largest school districts in 122
the state; 123
(b) An assessment of the smallest school districts in 124
the state; 125
(c) An assessment of previously consolidated school 126
districts in counties having two (2) or more districts; 127
(d) An assessment of school districts whose boundaries 128
are situated within two (2) counties; 129
(e) The administrative, operational and programs of 130
instruction and curriculum of those schools accredited at the 131
highest and lowest levels of performance on the accreditation 132
rating scale; 133
(f) The socio-economic demographics of each district 134
with greater populations of at-risk students; and 135
(g) Levels of social, economic, academic and cultural 136
exposure. 137
(7) The task force shall cause the State Department of 138
Education to prepare a written report on the study which includes, 139
at a minimum, the data and information specified under subsections 140
(4), (5) and (6) of this section. The report must be presented to 141
the Legislature and the Governor before December 31, 2025. 142
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ST: Education Efficiency Act; create to
establish the School District Administrative
Efficiency and Joinder Task Force.
SECTION 3. This act shall take effect and be in force from 143
and after its passage. 144