Mississippi Senate proposes education funding

State senators are offering a bill to fund public schools for the 2017-2018 school year, casting doubt if law makers will rewrite Mississippi’s school funding formula this year.
The Senate Appropriations Committee amended House Bill 1502, adding back $2.2 billion to spend using the current formula. Earlier, House Speaker Philip Gunn had removed the money from the bill, saying he wants to consider a long-term rewrite of the formula together in a special session.
The lack of a spending plan for 2017-2018 pressures lawmakers to act because school districts want to know how much money to expect before contracting with teachers for next year.