Public schools struggling with recent budget cuts could get relief from legislation expected to be considered today at the state Capitol, but the measure relies on a financing method that is far from gaining final approval.
House Bill 1383 would use $68 million generated from a proposed tobacco tax hike to restore money cut from the Mississippi Adequate Education Program, the funding formula for elementary and secondary schools.
The education funding bill advanced in a key committee Wednesday and may be debated by the full House today.
House Education Committee Chairman Cecil Brown, D-Jackson, said the bill restores most of the money lost to school districts for MAEP, including several that cannot afford budget cuts.
But the measure faces opposition from lawmakers uncertain about the future of a tobacco tax increase. There are disagreements over how much the tax should be raised and what to do with the revenue.
Magnolia Tribune
