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To: Education
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026
By: Senator(s) DeBar
SENATE BILL NO. 2288
(As Sent to Governor)
AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 37-153-15, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, 1
TO ALLOW CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION INCENTIVE GRANTS TO BE 2
USED FOR PURCHASING NEEDED EQUIPMENT FOR PROGRAMS THAT LEAD TO 3
QUALIFYING INDUSTRY CERTIFICATIONS; TO AMEND SECTION 37-153-17, 4
MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO EXTEND THE REPEAL DATE ON CERTAIN 5
SECTIONS OF THE MISSISSIPPI COMPREHENSIVE WORKFORCE TRAINING AND 6
EDUCATION CONSOLIDATION ACT OF 2004; TO AMEND SECTION 37-7-345, 7
MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO SPECIFY THAT A REGIONAL EDUCATIONAL 8
SERVICE AGENCY MAY ENGAGE IN BULK PURCHASING; TO REQUIRE THAT ALL 9
SERVICES BE COMPETITIVELY BID; TO REQUIRE A REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS 10
IN THE CASE OF PURCHASES OVER THE HIGHEST THRESHOLD; AND FOR 11
RELATED PURPOSES. 12
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: 13
SECTION 1. Section 37-153-15, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 14
amended as follows: 15
37-153-15. (1) As used in this article: 16
(a) The words "industry certification" mean a process 17
through which students are assessed by an independent, third-party 18
certifying entity using predetermined standards for knowledge, 19
skills and competencies, resulting in the award of a credential 20
that is nationally recognized and must be at least one (1) of the 21
following: 22
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(i) Within an industry that addresses a critical 23
local, regional or statewide economic need; 24
(ii) Linked to an occupation that is included in 25
the State Department of Employment Security's occupations in 26
high-demand list; or 27
(iii) Linked to an occupation that is identified 28
as emerging. 29
(b) The words "qualifying industry certification" mean 30
an industry certification that is linked to an occupation with 31
wages of at least seventy percent (70%) of the median state income 32
unless the industry certification is stackable to another 33
postsecondary or professional credential which is linked to an 34
occupation which meets the wage criterion. 35
(2) The State Workforce Investment Board shall provide the 36
State Board of Education annually with a list of qualifying 37
industry certifications. If the occupations identified in the 38
list are not substantially the same as those occupations 39
identified in the prior year, the State Board of Education shall 40
provide reasonable notice of the changes to school districts. 41
(3) Beginning in fiscal year 2019-2020 and subject to 42
available funding, the Department of Education shall pay a career 43
and technical education incentive grant to the public school for 44
each student enrolled in the public school who earns a qualifying 45
industry certification. The amount per student for the career and 46
technical education incentive grant shall be Six Hundred Dollars 47
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($600.00). If the statewide sum of the career and technical 48
education incentive grants awarded pursuant to this section 49
exceeds the amount of available funds appropriated for the grants, 50
the grants per student shall be reduced proportionately to cover 51
all eligible grants under this section. Any costs accrued during 52
one (1) fiscal year may be claimed and reimbursed in the following 53
fiscal year. 54
(4) The grants may be used for qualifying industry 55
certification examination fees, professional development for 56
teachers in career and technical education programs under this 57
section, student instructional support for programs that lead to 58
qualifying industry certifications, * * * to increase access to 59
qualifying industry certifications * * *, or to purchase needed 60
equipment for programs that lead to qualifying industry 61
certifications. 62
(5) On or before October 1 of each year, the Department of 63
Education, working in collaboration with the Office of Workforce 64
Development and any other entities as necessary, shall submit a 65
report to the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor, the Speaker of 66
the House of Representatives, the Chairmen of the House and Senate 67
Education Committees, the Chairman of the House Workforce 68
Development Committee and the Chairman of the Senate Economic and 69
Workforce Development Committee on the following: 70
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(a) The number of students who enrolled in a career and 71
technical education course or program that leads to a qualifying 72
industry certification. 73
(b) The number of students who earned a qualifying 74
industry certification by certification. 75
(c) The amount of career and technical education 76
incentive grants awarded by the school. 77
(d) The amount of career and technical education 78
incentive grants awarded per student. 79
(e) Aggregated demographic data on the students who 80
earned a qualifying industry certification, including the 81
qualifying industry certifications earned by rural and urban 82
students. 83
SECTION 2. Section 37-153-17, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 84
amended as follows: 85
37-153-17. Sections * * * 37-153-9, 37-153-11 * * * and 86
37-153-13 * * * shall stand repealed on July 1, 2026. Sections 87
37-153-1, 37-153-3, 37-153-5, 37-153-7 and 37-153-15 shall stand 88
repealed on July 1, 2029. 89
SECTION 3. Section 37-7-345, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 90
amended as follows: 91
37-7-345. (1) A regional educational service agency * * * 92
may be established in a region of the state when twelve (12) or 93
more school districts determine there are benefits and services 94
that can be derived from the collective and collaborative 95
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formation of an agency for the purpose of pooling and leveraging 96
resources for the common benefit of students, teachers, 97
administrators and taxpayers. An educational service agency shall 98
be incorporated in the State of Mississippi and organized under 99
the laws of the State of Mississippi as a nonprofit corporation. 100
The educational service agency shall obtain 501(c)(3) status with 101
the Internal Revenue Service. 102
(2) The operation and management of the educational service 103
agency shall be the responsibility of a public advisory board 104
composed of the superintendents of schools or their designees from 105
each participating school district. 106
(3) A board of directors shall be elected on an annual basis 107
from the advisory board to oversee the day-to-day operations of 108
the agency. 109
(4) The executive board shall hire an executive director to 110
serve as the executive agent of the board of the regional 111
educational service agency. 112
(5) The board of directors of a regional educational service 113
agency shall have the authority to establish policies for the 114
regional educational service to determine the programs and 115
services to be provided, to employ staff, to prepare and expend 116
the budget, to provide for financing programs and projects of the 117
regional educational service agency, and to annually evaluate the 118
performance of the agency. The board may purchase, hold, encumber 119
and dispose of real property, in the name of the agency, for use 120
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as its office or for any educational service provided by the 121
agency. 122
(6) The educational service agency is authorized and 123
empowered to: develop, manage and provide support services and/or 124
programs as determined by the needs of the local school district. 125
Educational service agencies * * * shall: 126
(a) Act primarily as service agencies in providing 127
services and/or programs as identified and requested by member 128
school districts (services may include, but are not limited to, 129
professional development, instructional materials, educational 130
technology, curriculum development and alternative educational 131
programs); 132
(b) Provide for economy, efficiency and 133
cost-effectiveness in the cooperative delivery and purchase or 134
lease of educational services, materials and products (services 135
may include, but are not limited to, purchasing cooperatives, 136
including bulk purchasing, insurance cooperatives, business 137
manager services, auditing and accounting services, school 138
safety/risk prevention, and data processing and student records). 139
All services shall be competitively bid in accordance with Section 140
31-7-13. In the case of purchases over the highest threshold, a 141
request for proposals shall be done openly to the public. An 142
invite-only bid process shall not be considered competitive. The 143
advertising shall be in accordance with Section 31-7-13 within one 144
or more member districts. This section shall not exclude any 145
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school district or community college from exercising the 146
independent rights given in paragraph (dd) or (ww) of Section 147
37-7-301; 148
(c) Provide administrative services (services may 149
include, but are not limited to, communications/public 150
information, employee background checks, grants management, 151
printing/publications and internships); 152
(d) Provide educational services through leadership, 153
research and development in elementary and secondary education; 154
(e) Act in a cooperative and supportive role, including 155
contracting, with the Mississippi Department of Education, 156
Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning, Mississippi community 157
colleges and other state educational organizations in the 158
development and implementation of long-range plans, strategies and 159
goals for the enhancement of educational opportunities in 160
elementary and secondary education; and 161
(f) Serve, when appropriate and as funds become 162
available, as a repository, clearinghouse and administrator of 163
federal, state, local and private funds on behalf of school 164
districts which choose to participate in special programs, 165
projects or grants in order to enhance the quality of education in 166
Mississippi schools. 167
(7) The State Board of Education shall have the authority to 168
contract with and provide funds to regional educational service 169
agencies for any education-related service. 170
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ST: Comprehensive Workforce Training and
Education Consolidation Act; expand CTE
incentive grant purposes, and extend repealer.
SECTION 4. This act shall take effect and be in force from 171
and after July 1, 2026. 172