Sid Salter: MAEP overhaul rooted in Initiative 42 fight
So exactly who is surprised that the Mississippi Legislature is considering making substantive changes to the Mississippi Adequate Education Program in the wake of last year’s politically bloody fight over Initiative 42 in 2015?
Initiative 42 put some choices in front of Mississippi voters on future funding of K-12 education….
…Democrats have made the MAEP underfunding argument the prima facie basis of their arguments despite record education spending under GOP leadership. In truth, Democrats talking about increased investment in public education and Republicans talking about accountability and innovation in public education can learn a lot from each other in Mississippi. Public education policy in Mississippi — from pre-K through graduate school — should not be a partisan issue.
After the vote last year, I wrote that “my sense is that the Legislature was paying close attention to the 42 vote and that the fruits of that battle will be an exhaustive review of the Mississippi Adequate Education Program formula. With the GOP in firm control of the Legislature, that prospect is concerning to the teacher unions and others in the state’s education lobby.”
Clarion Ledger
10/16/16
Magnolia Tribune
