House leaders look to alleviate education cuts

The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, 1/22/9

While the Mississippi Senate has yet to take up legislation to increase the cigarette tax, House Democratic leaders already know how they want to spend a portion of the money.

The House Appropriations Committee voted Wednesday to use a portion of a proposed 82-cent-per-pack increase in the cigarette tax to alleviate recent cuts made to education by Gov. Haley Barbour.

“We don’t have a Plan B,” said House Education Committee Cecil Brown, D-Jackson. “This is Plan A.”

Without additional money for education, Brown said some school districts would go to a four-day week.

“I am not trying to scare you,” he said. “I am just telling you what they may need to do.”