JACKSON - The Senate on Tuesday passed Gov. Haley Barbour's education proposal that would, among other things, exempt well-performing schools from many state paperwork requirements and reward them for high scores on standardized tests.
Education Chairman Mike Chaney, R-Vicksburg, said the proposal could save the state millions of dollars by eliminating paperwork and duplication.
The bill allows bonus pay for teachers in schools that show significant academic improvement and gives school districts the authority to pay higher salaries to teachers who instruct critical needs subjects, such as special education and mathematics. The bill does not include a funding appropriation.
Sen. Ezell Lee, D-Picayune, said he didn't see how the plan would improve education. "Why don't we do something that has some substance to it?" Lee asked senators.
Barbour issued a statement saying that the Senate's action moved the state "one step closer to substantially improving the way we educate our children."
But some senators questioned whether the bill could lead to the dismantling of the Mississippi Adequate Education Program.
MAEP is a funding formula adopted in 1997 to ensure every school district receives enough money to meet midlevel accreditation standards.
MAEP was underfunded by $79 million in the current fiscal year. And budget recommendations from Barbour and legislative budget writers do not cover what the state Department of Education is requesting for the fiscal year that begins July 1.
Barbour's education package includes an MAEP provision requiring school districts to show exactly how state funding is spent.
Sen. Hob Bryan, D-Amory, said the MAEP code section provision is meaningless, but its inclusion in the legislation leaves lawmakers the option to make changes to the bill when they begin compromise negotiations.
"If they're not going to change the formula, then why did they have any provision about the formula in the bill?," Bryan asked.
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