K-12 Funding Bill Adopted by House and Senate
3/31/13
The conference report for HB 1648 was adopted by the House and Senate on Easter Sunday, 3/31/13. This is the final K-12 budget for the 2013-2014 school year and includes the following items:
- Level funding of MAEP - same next year as this year; MAEP will be underfunded by $292-million
- $27-million - increased retirement costs
- Full funding - Chickasaw Cession
- Full funding - National Board Certification program
- $10-million - teacher supply fund (an increase of $2-million over current year)
- $9.5-million - literacy initiative
- $3-million - pre-k matching grant program
- $3-million - Mississippi Building Blocks (pre-k)
- $1.5-million - merit pay pilot program in four districts (Clarksdale, Gulfport, Lamar County, Rankin County)
- $1.5-million - teacher scholarship program
- $6-million - Teach for America
- $5.5-million - Mississippi Community Oriented Policing Services in Schools program
- $2-million - digital learning pilot program in two districts (Booneville and Hattiesburg)