TALK | education
Voters Could Decide School Funding by Jackie Mader and Liz Willen, The Hechinger Report
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April 9 - 15, 2014
‘What do you mean by ‘adequate’?’ — Rep. John Moore, R-Brandon
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Campaign for Fiscal Equity, a nonprofit research and policy center at Teachers College, Columbia University, that champions fair funding. Rebell is an attorney who for years has charged that New York state is shortchanged the entire publicschool system by billions of dollars—even after coming to an agreement following a landmark court ruling in 2006. Rep. Moore said he questions whether the amendment language would change much. “What do you mean by ‘adequate’?” Moore said. “Does that guarantee that every child in the state of Mississippi is going to be educated?” The change in language may open the door to lawsuits such as those seen in Kansas and Florida. In 1998, Florida voters approved an amendment that changed the state’s education provision in its constitution. The amendment made education a “fundamental value” and required that the state make adequate provision of education, defined as “Efficient, safe, secure, and high quality.” Since then, several lawsuits have been filed against Florida, citing evidence that state schools do not meet these requirements. One seeks a “remedial plan” by the state to improve and better fund schools. Brumfield said Better Schools=Better Jobs decided against a court challenge in favor of a constitutional amendment, “so that there will be no doubt it will be the legal obligation of the Legislature to keep its promise.” She said the group undertook some polling recently and found plenty of support for the idea of a constitutional change. “Seventy percent of registered voters said they could not trust the Legislature to properly fund education,’’ Brumfield said. Molly Hunter, a nationally recognized expert on issues of school-funding litigation and reform at the Education Law Center in New Jersey, said Mississippi probably has the weakest language around support for education, both in their schools and via MAEP. “They don’t fund their schools well enough, so if this would help that would be great. If you care about education and quality opportunities for all kids in Mississippi, it’s a great concept. They need it, but they are not getting it,” Hunter said. This report was produced by The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit, nonpartisan education-news outlet affiliated with Teachers College, Columbia University. COURTESY HECHINGER REPORT
ear after year, school officials in sippi has underfunded its schools by more Advocates disagree that funding has this poor and largely rural state say than $1 billion. A recent report by the been adequate, and say that fully funding they scramble to stock classrooms Mississippi Center for Education Inno- education should be the state’s priority. with basic supplies like textbooks vation found the lack of funds has forced The ballot question in Mississippi comes at and pencils. They seek donations from schools to raise class sizes and hold off on a time when 45 states have filed lawsuits outside groups and wonder if they’ll ever offering after-school tutoring programs or challenging the failure of governors and have enough money to hire coaches and invest in technology. legislators to fairly fund schools. classroom assistants. School funding is hotly debated in In 11 states, litigation is pending, Now, a newly formed group is taking a fresh tack on school funding, albeit one that first requires a lot of votes and a constitutional amendment to provide money for cash-strapped schools. The group, Better Schools=Better Jobs, filed paperwork with the state to form a nonprofit in January and a PAC in February. It will attempt to gather more than 107,000 signatures of registered voters before Oct. 1, in the hope of putting such a question before voters on the 2015 ballot. Funded by foundations and individuals, Better Schools=Better Jobs includes a host of educators, business leaders, parents and politicians. Fed up after years of substandard conditions, they are pushing for the state’s funding formula, the Mississippi Adequate Education Children in the Richton School District, about 20 miles east of Hattiesburg, play on outdated Program, or MAEP, to become a playground equipment. Across Mississippi, educators say that years of underfunding have left them with inadequate facilities and few supplies. constitutional mandate. Better Schools=Better Jobs argues that better funding will improve lagging school performance and Mississippi, where some lawmakers say including New York, Florida, Texas and spur long-needed economic growth and that more funding doesn’t necessarily lead California. In March, a Kansas court development in the state. In the weeks to better student academic performance. ruled that the state was in violation of its and months to come, Patsy Brumfield, “There’s a whole lot more money being constitution for funding disparities bethe group’s communications director, said spent in the districts that are producing the tween school districts. Kansas’s constituBetter Schools=Better Jobs will adopt a worst product than in the schools that are tion requires the state to “make suitable grassroots approach to get the word out. producing the best product,” said Rep. John provision for finance of the educational Brumfield said they plan to reach out to Moore, R-Brandon, chairman of Mississip- interests of the state.” various groups, organizations and school pi’s House Education Committee. Mississippi’s constitution requires leadership across the state, and use comMoore said that although “public the state to provide for “the establishment, munity leaders to reach those who are in- safety is actually the maintenance and terested in signing the petition. The new number-one prisupport of free pubgroup does not yet have a website, and ority for the state lic schools upon few details were available. of Mississippi,” such conditions “We are under no illusions about what the Legislature has and limitations an ambitious effort this is, but on the other prioritized fundas the Legislature hand, if there was ever a place where some- ing education for may prescribe.” thing like this stood to make a big differ- years, often to the The proence, Mississippi would be that place,’’ said detriment of other posed amendment Kent McGuire, president of the Southern state departments. would require the Education Foundation, a public charity “If you look at the “state to provide that is one of the group’s supporters. other agencies of and the Legislature Since 1997, school districts in the state government, fund an adequate state have received money based on MAEP, they have all basiand efficient sysa complex formula that takes into account cally been mugged over the last few years tem of free public schools.” such factors as average daily attendance in the name of funding k-12,” Moore said. The amendment would also authorize and the percentage of students who qualify “There’s a lot of primary functions of state state courts to enforce that in litigation. for free or reduced-price lunch. government that have been sacrificed in “If they prevail, it will be very inIn the past six years, though, Missis- the name of educating our children.” teresting,’’ said Michael Rebell, of the