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Senate adopts substitute to school funding formula, adds CTE for grades 7–8 and other education adjustments
Summary
The Senate adopted a substitute amendment to the student funding formula bill that adds seventh‑ and eighth‑grade CTE weighting, extends teacher‑retirement return‑to‑work provisions to administrators who return as teachers, and includes technical fixes to restore funding for the DeBard School; the measure passed on an afternoon roll call.
The Mississippi Senate adopted a substitute amendment to the student funding formula bill and passed the measure by recorded vote after floor debate.
Senator Fraser, sponsoring the substitute, told the chamber the amendment incorporates earlier Senate and House measures: it adds seventh‑ and eighth‑grade career and technical education (CTE) students to the funding formula weight previously applied only to grades 9–12; restores language allowing certain university‑based programs (the DeBard School) to receive full funding; and incorporates a teacher‑retirement provision that allows retired educators — if they return to teach — to receive the same return‑to‑work treatment as classroom teachers, with the amendment explicitly covering administrators who come back to teach rather than serve in administrative roles.
Senators asked whether the substitute restored preschool funding and whether adding seventh and eighth graders to the CTE weight would raise local millage. Sponsors said preschool funding was not eliminated and that the change is a funding‑formula weight; the amendment did not change millage caps. The sponsor said adding grades 7–8 to the CTE weight would increase formula funding by roughly $20–25 million statewide (figure discussed on the floor), and said the DeBard School technical fix would provide approximately $200,000 in additional funding for that program.
Senator Fraser moved adoption of the substitute amendment; the Senate adopted the substitute, then passed the bill by afternoon roll call. The sponsor asked members to vote for passage to allow the House and Senate to reconcile differences where needed. The clerk called the roll after the floor action and the Senate recorded the passage by the announced roll call.
Sections contained in the substitute include: CTE inclusion for grades 7–8; conforming language to the new statewide funding formula (rather than references to older MAEP language); a technical funding adjustment for the DeBard School; the teacher retirement/return‑to‑work expansion to include administrators who return to teach; a financial‑literacy provision previously passed by the Senate; and a provision authorizing local school boards to adopt a cell‑phone policy with consequences for districts that do not adopt policy language.
The bill was adopted by vote and moved to the next steps required for conference and final enrollment. Lawmakers and staff said the House and Senate education leaders would work the details in conference where necessary.
The Senate asked boards and local districts to note the changes; sponsors said the statutory changes are intended to improve alignment of the new funding formula with classroom operations and with existing teacher workforce policies.
A recorded afternoon roll call was used for final passage; the clerk announced the result and the bill passed.
