Mississippi education board reviews conservative $3.3 billion FY2027 budget request

At a special called meeting in Jackson, Miss. the Mississippi Department of Education presented its FY2027 budget request, a conservative package totaling about $3.3 billion that officials said largely funds the Mississippi School Funding Formula and several targeted program increases.

The presentation, given by Miss Wiggins, positioned the department’s request as “razor thin” and tied most of the agency’s ask to student funding under the Mississippi School Funding Formula. Dr. Evans and other board members questioned details and flagged several items that depend on pending legislative or federal decisions.

Why it matters: agency leaders said the preliminary estimate to fully fund the Mississippi School Funding Formula is about $2.9 billion — roughly 89% of the department’s requested total — leaving relatively little discretionary state funding for other priorities. Department staff also warned that uncertainty at the federal level could reduce grant funding that currently supports multiple programs.

Key figures and program requests cited in the presentation include a…