Gov. OKs $3.5B education bill

The Clarion-Ledger, 4/18/7

Gov. Haley Barbour signed education spending bills Tuesday while flanked by Democratic and Republican legislators. A measure granting a 3 percent pay hike for teachers also was approved.

Education spending – $3.5 billion – is a majority of the state’s almost $5 billion annual budget. The budget goes into effect July 1.

This year is the first since 2003 – also an election year – that lawmakers have totally funded the Mississippi Adequate Education Program.