Mississippi Today

Lawmakers, debating MAEP full funding, have plenty of money to spend

Published

2 years ago

March 22, 2023

Lawmakers, debating MAEP full funding, have plenty of money to spend

by Bobby Harrison, Mississippi Today
March 22, 2023

If the Mississippi Legislature does not fully fund public education this session, it will not be because of a lack of money.

As fights in past years persisted about fully funding the Mississippi Adequate Education Program, the state formula that funds local school districts’ basic needs, an issue often has been whether there was enough money to accomplish the goal of full funding.

Money — or at least not having enough if it — is not the issue this year.

Thanks to an unprecedented spike in tax collections, the Legislature entered the 2023 session with an official revenue estimate that is $500 million more than the estimate used in the 2022 session to fund state government, including MAEP. And to top it off, revenue collections are another $524 million above the official estimate through February, seven months into the fiscal year.

Many have called on House Speaker Philip Gunn to call a meeting of the Legislative Budget Committee to raise the estimate, giving legislators even more money to appropriate this year. As chair of the Legislative Budget Committee this year, Gunn has the sole authority to call the meeting to raise the estimate. Thus far Gunn, who has been an opponent of full funding of MAEP, has rejected those calls. But even if Gunn does not call a meeting to raise the estimate, legislators still will have half a billion dollars more to spend in the final days of this session than they had in 2022.

As the session winds down and legislative leaders meet behind closed doors to agree on a budget proposal to be voted on by the full Legislature, the issue of whether to fully fund MAEP is one of the key issues being debated and perhaps a major obstacle to a budget agreement. MAEP provides the state’s share of money for the basic needs of districts, such teacher salaries, utilities, textbooks and transportation. The MAEP formula provides a greater share of state funds to poor districts.

House Education Chair Richard Bennett, R-Long Beach, said the issue in fully funding MAEP is not necessarily the money. He said he supports providing more funds to public schools, but not necessarily for placing more money in the MAEP.

“I am not for putting more money in it,” Bennett said, adding he would rather it be “earmarked” for specific education programs.

Bennett cited the $20 million the House provided for a salary increase for teacher assistants from $17,000 annually to $20,000. Instead of adopting the House plan for a teacher assistants pay raise, the Senate opted to propose an additional $181 million to fully fund MAEP for only the third time since 2003. Placing extra education money in MAEP would give the local school districts more discretion in how the funds are spent.

The Senate passed legislation to make changes to MAEP that lowered by about $80 million the amount needed to fully fund the program. After the changes, $181 million is needed to fully fund the program. And Senate leaders said the additional cost to maintain full funding in future years would be minimal.

Bennett said it is too late in the session to consider making major changes to MAEP.

“I am in favor of looking at the program,” Bennett said. “But it should begin in the summer and involve all the stakeholders.” He said the stakeholders should include the governor’s office, educators and legislators.

Senate Education Chair Dennis DeBar, R-Leakesville, said this week on Mississippi Today’s “The Other Side” podcast that he has been working with local education officials for about three years on the changes that the Senate approved to the MAEP. DeBar said he had heard throughout his legislative tenure, which began in 2012, that there were problems with the formula. He said the Senate plan, to a large extent, fixes those problems.

“This has been a three-year long process to rework the formula, to get it fully funded…working with educators,” DeBar said.

Under the revisions made in the Senate, DeBar said the MAEP funding levels would be more predictable and that it would be easier to keep it fully funded.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

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Mississippi Today

UMMC holds free cancer screenings

Published

2 days ago

April 30, 2025

Staff Editor

mississippitoday.org – @EricJShelton – 2025-04-30 12:00:00

by Eric J. Shelton, Mississippi Today
April 30, 2025

Resident physician Claire Babin, right, performs an oral cancer screening on Ella Holmes during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Physicians prepare for oral, head and neck cancer screenings during a free screening event at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Resident physician Brooks Lampkin, center, screens Diane Carter for oral cancer as medical students Mason Nodurft, left, and Eva Kiparizoska observe during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Educational giveaways advocating against smoking are available during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Sharon Terry, senior tobacco treatment specialist, waits for patients during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Skylar Robinson, medical office assistant, left, and Kiandria Bruce, registered nurse, review materials at the patient sign-in table during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Head and neck cancer literature is available during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Dr. Alex Brooks and registered nurse Angela Noble talk during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Nina Brown, clinical manager, helps Ned Bostic with paperwork during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Resident physician Brooks Lampkin performs an oral cancer screening on Ned Bostic at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Ned Bostic receives a neck cancer screening during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Resident physician Brooks Lampkin, center, and medical student Hanna Watson examine Ned Bostic during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.

The University of Mississippi Medical Center’s Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery hosted a free oral, head, and neck cancer screening Wednesday at the Jackson Medical Mall as part of Oral, Head and Neck Cancer Awareness Week.

The event featured quick, noninvasive screenings aimed at catching cancer early — when treatment is most effective. Onyx Care provided free HPV vaccinations, while the ACT Center for Tobacco Treatment, Education, and Research offered resources on smoking cessation and free services.

“These screenings take about 10 minutes and can save lives,” said Dr. Gina Jefferson, head and neck surgical oncologist at UMMC. “The earlier a cancer is diagnosed, the better chance we have of curing it.”

Tobacco and alcohol use remain major risk factors for these cancers. However, physicians say an increasing number of cases are linked to HPV, especially among younger adults with no history of smoking or drinking. Dentists are often the first to spot early signs, which can include persistent sores, lumps in the neck, or difficulty swallowing.

Oral, head and neck cancers are among the most common globally. When found early, survival rates can exceed 80 percent.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The post UMMC holds free cancer screenings appeared first on mississippitoday.org

Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.

Political Bias Rating: Centrist

This article presents factual information about a free cancer screening event without showing a clear ideological stance. It primarily focuses on the health benefits of early cancer detection and the availability of free resources, such as HPV vaccinations and smoking cessation support. The language used is neutral and the content is centered around public health education rather than promoting a political viewpoint. The inclusion of factual statistics, such as survival rates and risk factors, adds to its informative and objective tone. There are no signs of bias or advocacy for a particular political agenda, making this a centrist piece.

Crooked Letter Sports Podcast

Podcast: What next for Mississippi State baseball?

Published

2 days ago

April 30, 2025

Staff Editor

mississippitoday.org – @rick_cleveland – 2025-04-30 10:46:00

by Rick Cleveland and Tyler Cleveland, Mississippi Today
April 30, 2025

Mississippi State didn’t even wait until the end of the season to fire Chris Lemonis, who brought the national championship to Starkville not quite four years ago. Where do the Bulldogs go from here. Robbie Faulk who covers the Bulldogs more closely than anyone else joins the podcast to discuss the situation.

Stream all episodes here.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The post Podcast: What next for Mississippi State baseball? appeared first on mississippitoday.org

Mississippi Today

Mobile sports betting users: We want to hear from you

Published

2 days ago

April 30, 2025

Staff Editor

mississippitoday.org – @MSTODAYnews – 2025-04-30 10:21:00

by Mississippi Today, Mississippi Today
April 30, 2025

Mississippi Today is looking to speak with current and former mobile sports betting users. We’d like to speak with people who spend considerable amounts of time and money betting on sports through online gambling sites.

We’re interested in hearing the experience of people who have suffered from gambling addiction or problems, or friends and family members of people who have. We also would like to talk with people who believe legalizing mobile sports betting would benefit Mississippi and its residents.

We want to hear from you. Please take the survey below or contact Political Reporter Michael Goldberg by email at mgoldberg@mississippitoday.org

TAKE THE SURVEY:

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This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The post Mobile sports betting users: We want to hear from you appeared first on mississippitoday.org

Political Bias Rating: Centrist

This article from Mississippi Today appears to present a neutral stance, focusing on gathering input from various groups of mobile sports betting users, including those who may have experienced addiction issues. The content does not advocate for or against the legalization of mobile sports betting but instead seeks to gather diverse perspectives, including those of individuals who may support or oppose it. The language used is objective and does not suggest a particular ideological perspective, allowing for a balanced exploration of the issue at hand.