HB1643_S_Cmte_Amend

SECTION 1. The following sums, or so much of those sums as may be necessary, are appropriated out of any money in the State General Fund not otherwise appropriated, for the purpose of funding K-12 and other related educational activities, including certain agencies and programs, in the State of Mississippi, for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2019, and ending June 30, 2020, as follows:

(a) To the State Board of Education for the purpose of defraying the expenses of the State Department of Education, and excluding the expenses of the Vocational and Technical Education Division... $ 122,049,107.00.

(b) To the State Board of Education for the purpose of defraying the expenses of the Vocational and Technical Education Division of the State Department of Education..................................

........................................... $ 76,225,705.00.

(c) To the State Board of Education for the purpose of paying annual compensation to the Chickasaw Cession counties for sixteenth section lands which they lost through sale by the state, as provided in Section 29-3-137 through 29-3-141, Mississippi Code of 1972... $ 18,866,383.00.

(d) To the State Board of Education for defraying the expenses of the Mississippi Adequate Education Program............

.............................................$ 2,028,107,648.00.

(e) To the State Board of Education for the purpose of defraying the expenses of the Mississippi School for the Blind and the Mississippi School for the Deaf...........$ 9,727,397.00.

TOTAL AMOUNT OF STATE GENERAL FUNDS APPROPRIATED

BY THIS SECTION BEING....................$ 2,254,976,240.00.

SECTION 2. The following sums, or so much of those sums as may be necessary, are appropriated out of any money in any special fund in the State Treasury to the credit of the proper fund or funds of the agencies or programs specified in the following paragraphs for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2019, and ending June 30, 2020, as follows:

(a) To the State Board of Education for the purpose of defraying the expenses of the State Department of Education, excluding the expenses of the Vocational and Technical Education Division $ 905,865,795.00.

(b) To the State Board of Education for the purpose of defraying the expenses of the Vocational and Technical Education Division of the State Department of Education..................................

........................................... $ 20,964,406.00.

(c) To the State Board of Education for the purpose of defraying the expenses of the Mississippi Adequate Education Program.... $ 251,431,187.00.

(d) To the State Board of Education for the purpose of defraying the expenses of the Mississippi School for the Blind and the Mississippi School for the Deaf........................ $ 1,933,051.00.

TOTAL AMOUNT OF SPECIAL FUNDS APPROPRIATED

BY THIS SECTION BEING............... $ 1,180,194,439.00.

SECTION 3. Of the funds appropriated in Section 2, One Hundred Twenty-six Thousand Four Hundred Seventy-two Dollars ($126,472.00), or so much of that sum as may be necessary, is appropriated out of any money in the State Treasury to the credit of the Health Care Expendable Fund to the State Department of Education for the purpose of defraying the expenses of the department for the Mississippi Eye Screening Program for providing vision safety services.

SECTION 4. Of the funds appropriated in Section 2, the following sums, or so much of those sums as may be necessary, are derived out of any money in the State Treasury to the credit of the Education Enhancement Fund pursuant to Sections 27-65-75 and 27-67-31, Mississippi Code of 1972, as follows:

(a) To the State Department of Education, excluding the expenses of the Vocational and Technical Education Division, for the following purposes:

Literacy Initiative and Assessment.... $ 6,333,806.00.

Educable Child........................ $ 7,000,000.00.

Grants to school districts for capital

facilities and buses............. $ 16,000,000.00.

Instructional materials............... $ 12,000,000.00.

Students with Special Needs............ $ 1,800,000.00.

Implementing Performance Based Data

Collection and Accreditation

Model............................ $ 274,937.00.

Testing............................... $ 6,125,670.00.

Mississippi School for Math

and Science...................... $ 125,000.00.

Mississippi School for Fine Arts...... $ 125,000.00.

TOTAL................................. $ 49,784,413.00.

(b) To the State Department of Education to defray the expenses of the Vocational and Technical Education Division.............

........................................... $ 4,937,258.00.

(c) To the State Department of Education to provide funding for the Mississippi Adequate Education Program.....................

..............................................$ 231,431,187.00.

(d) To the State Board of Education for the purpose of defraying the expenses of the Mississippi School for the Blind and the Mississippi School for the Deaf...........$ 1,207,037.00.

SECTION 5. Of the funds appropriated in this act, the following positions are authorized for the State Department of Education, excluding the expenses of the Vocational and Technical Education Division:

AUTHORIZED POSITIONS:

Permanent: Full Time........... 392

Part Time........... 3

Time-Limited: Full Time........... 158

Part Time........... 0

With the funds herein appropriated, it shall be the agency's responsibility to make certain that funds required to be appropriated for "Personal Services" for Fiscal Year 2021 do not exceed Fiscal Year 2020 funds appropriated for that purpose, unless programs or positions are added to the agency's Fiscal Year 2020 budget by the Mississippi Legislature. Based on data provided by the Legislative Budget Office, the State Personnel Board shall determine and publish the projected annual cost to fully fund all appropriated positions in compliance with the provisions of this act. It shall be the responsibility of the agency head to ensure that no single personnel action increases this projected annual cost and/or the Fiscal Year 2020 appropriations for "Personal Services" when annualized, with the exception of escalated funds and the award of benchmarks. If, at the time the agency takes any action to change "Personal Services," the State Personnel Board determines that the agency has taken an action which would cause the agency to exceed this projected annual cost or the Fiscal Year 2020 "Personal Services" appropriated level, when annualized, then only those actions which reduce the projected annual cost and/or the appropriation requirement will be processed by the State Personnel Board until such time as the requirements of this provision are met.

Any transfers or escalations shall be made in accordance with the terms, conditions and procedures established by law or allowable under the terms set forth within this act. The State Personnel Board shall not escalate positions without written approval from the Department of Finance and Administration. The Department of Finance and Administration shall not provide written approval to escalate any funds for salaries and/or positions without proof of availability of new or additional funds above the appropriated level.

No general funds authorized to be expended herein shall be used to replace federal funds and/or other special funds which are being used for salaries authorized under the provisions of this act and which are withdrawn and no longer available.

None of the funds herein appropriated shall be used in violation of Internal Revenue Service's Publication 15-A relating to the reporting of income paid to contract employees, as interpreted by the Office of the State Auditor.

SECTION 6. In compliance with the "Mississippi Performance Budget and Strategic Planning Act of 1994," it is the intent of the Legislature that the funds provided in this act shall be utilized in the most efficient and effective manner possible to achieve the intended mission of the State Department of Education, excluding the expenses of the Vocational and Technical Education Division. Based on the funding authorized, this agency shall make every effort to attain the targeted performance measures provided below:

FY2020

Performance Measures Target

Special Education

Special Education teachers (FTE) (Number

of). 5,932.00

IEP students not participating in Math

Assessments (Number of). 1,184.00

IEP students not participating in

statewide Math Assessments (%). 5.00

IEP students not participating in

statewide Reading Assessments (Number

of). 1,163.00

IEP students not participating in

statewide Reading Assessments (%). 5.00

Students with an IEP graduating with a

standard diploma (Number of). 1,269.00

Child Nutrition

Sites compliant with Fresh Fruit and

Vegetable Program standards (%). 97.00

Sites compliant with the National School

Lunch Program (%) 97.00

Sites compliant with the School

Breakfast Program (Number of). 861.00

Compulsory School Attendance

Statewide Cohort 4-Year Dropout Rate (%) 10.80

General Administration

Total Dollars Spent on General

Administration ($). 26,532,257.00

Total Budget Spent on General

Administration (%). 18.58

Turnover rate at Central Office (%). 5.36

Graduation & Career Readiness

Public high school 4-year graduation

cohort (Number of). 28,500.00

Public high school 4-year cohort

graduation rate (%). 84.00

Special Schools

Students enrolled annually at MSMS

(Number of). 248

Amount of scholarship offerings for MSMS

students attending college ($). 25,000,000.00

MSMS graduating seniors who earn

National Merit or National Achievement

Semifinalist status (%). 10.00

Average ACT Composite score for

graduating seniors at MSMS (Number of). 30.00

Average cost per student to attend MSMS ($). 21,000.00

Average ACT composite score for

graduating seniors at MS School for the

Arts (Number of). 23.10

Percentage of MS School for the Arts

graduating seniors receiving scholarship

offers (%). 79

Early Childhood Education

Early Learning Collaborative Mean Scaled

Score on the Kindergarten Readiness

Assessment for Fall (Number of). 435.00

Early Learning Collaborative Mean Scaled

Score on the Kindergarten Readiness

Assessment for Spring (Number of). 575.00

Teacher Tng & Professional Dev

Statewide percentage of teachers with

alternate route licenses (%). 8.50

Statewide percent of teachers with five

or more years of experience (%). 74.00

Statewide percent of teachers with ten

or more years of experience (%). 52.10

Statewide average years of experience

for full-time teacher (Number of). 11.10

Statewide percentage of teachers with

less than three years of experience (%). 20.00

Teachers retained statewide from

previous year (Number of). 30,500.00

Teachers retained statewide from

previous year (%). 77.50

Elementary Education

Students Taking the Third Grade Reading

Summative Assessment in May (Number of). 36,384.00

3rd graders enrolled in May that took

the Third Grade Reading Summative

Assessment (%). 99.80

Statewide Mean Scaled Score on the Third

Grade Reading Summative Assessment

Mississippi Academic Assessment Program

(MAAP) English Language Arts (ELA)

(Number of). 362.00

Minimum Passing Score on the Third Grade

Reading Summative Assessment

Mississippi Academic Assessment Program

(MAAP) English Language Arts (ELA)

(Number of). 350.00

Students scoring at or above passing

score on the Third Grade Reading

Summative Assessment (Number of). 27,215.00

Students scoring at or above passing

score on the Third Grade Reading

Summative Assessment (%). 74.80

Secondary Education

Statewide Mean ACT Composite Score for

Juniors Testing in March (Number of). 18.50

11th graders taking the ACT in May

(Number of). 35,000.00

11th graders enrolled that took the ACT (%). 96.50

Students enrolled in one or more AP

courses Grades 9 – 12 (Number of). 16,318.00

Students enrolled in one or more AP

courses Grades 9 – 12 (%). 12.20

School Performance

Month 1 Net Membership in schools with

accountability rating of A (%). 19.00

Month 1 Net Membership in schools with a

accountability rating of B (%). 33.00

Month 1 Net Membership in schools with a

accountability rating of C (%). 25.00

Month 1 Net Membership in schools with a

accountability rating of D (%). 15.00

Month 1 Net Membership in schools with a

accountability rating of F (%). 7.00

Month 1 Net Membership in schools

without an accountability rating (%). 1.00

A reporting of the degree to which the performance targets set above have been or are being achieved shall be provided in the agency's budget request submitted to the Joint Legislative Budget Committee for Fiscal Year 2021.

SECTION 7. In compliance with the "Mississippi Performance Budget and Strategic Planning Act of 1994," it is the intent of the Legislature that the funds provided in this act shall be utilized in the most efficient and effective manner possible to achieve the intended mission of the Mississippi Adequate Education Program. Based on the funding authorized, this agency shall make every effort to attain the targeted performance measures provided below:

FY2020

Performance Measures Target

Basic Program

Number of schools receiving a

performance classification of C or

higher (Number of). 350.00

Number of districts receiving a

performance classification of C or

higher (Number of). 95.00

Statewide mean ACT composite core for

Juniors taking the test in March

(Score). 18.70

Increase 4-year graduation rate (%) 84.80

SECTION 8. In compliance with the "Mississippi Performance Budget and Strategic Planning Act of 1994," it is the intent of the Legislature that the funds provided in this act shall be utilized in the most efficient and effective manner possible to achieve the intended mission of the School for the Blind and Deaf of the State Department of Education. Based on the funding authorized, this agency shall make every effort to attain the targeted performance measures provided below:

FY2020

Performance Measures Target

Instruction

Graduation rate for visually impaired

students (%). 75.00

Students receiving standard &

occupational diploma (%). 75.00

Student Services

Eligible high school students working

part-time (%). 20.00

Operation & Maintenance

Persons served through community sign

language classes (Number of). 190.00

Parents served through community sign

language classes (Number of). 50.00

SECTION 9. No school district shall expend any funds, received under the School Ad Valorem Reduction Grant, unless such school district has specifically identified the amount of the grant within the published budget as required by Section 37-61-9, Mississippi Code of 1972. The published budget shall include the following statement: "Ad Valorem taxes will be $________ less as a result of the Ad Valorem Reduction Grants enacted by the Mississippi Legislature in 1992."

SECTION 10. Of the funds appropriated in Section 2, Two Million One Hundred Thousand Dollars ($2,100,000.00) shall be derived from the Technology in Classroom Fund 3203 for the purpose of defraying the expenses of the State Department of Education, excluding the expenses of the Vocational and Technical Education Division.

SECTION 11. Of the funds appropriated in Section 2, funds in the amount of One Million Dollars ($1,000,000.00) shall come from income derived from the principal of the Education Improvement Trust Fund created by Section 206A, Mississippi Constitution of 1890, and One Million Dollars ($1,000,000.00) shall be used for the School for Math and Science.

SECTION 12. Of the funds appropriated under the provisions of this act, the following positions are authorized for the Vocational and Technical Education Division of the State Department of Education:

AUTHORIZED POSITIONS:

Permanent: Full Time........... 50

Part Time........... 0

Time-Limited: Full Time........... 5

Part Time........... 0

None of the funds herein appropriated shall be used in violation of Internal Revenue Service’s Publication 15-A relating to the reporting of income paid to contract employees, as interpreted by the Office of the State Auditor.

SECTION 13. In compliance with the "Mississippi Performance Budget and Strategic Planning Act of 1994," it is the intent of the Legislature that the funds provided in this act shall be utilized in the most efficient and effective manner possible to achieve the intended mission of the Vocational and Technical Education Division of the State Department of Education. Based on the funding authorized, this agency shall make every effort to attain the targeted performance measures provided below:

FY2020

Performance Measures Target

Secondary Programs

Increase in students served in CTE (%). 2.00

11th grade students who are college or

career ready as measured by the ACT (%). 12.00

Students who graduated (%). 83.00

Increase in CTE Student Completers'

Placement Rate (%). 1.00

Schools with graduation rate less than

80% (Number of). 65.00

Post-secondary Programs

Short term adult program classes (Number

of). 200.00

CTE student completers (Number of). 3,700.00

SECTION 14. Of the funds appropriated in this act, an amount not to exceed Two Hundred Twenty-nine Thousand Six Hundred Eighty-four Dollars ($229,684.00) is authorized for the support of vocational and technical education programs as authorized in Section 37-31-13, Mississippi Code of 1972, for a period in excess of ten (10) months in a calendar year.

SECTION 15. It is the intention of the Legislature that the Vocational and Technical Education Division of the State Department of Education shall, with the funds appropriated in Section 1, transfer no more than One Hundred Thousand Dollars ($100,000.00) to the Mississippi Soil and Water Conservation Commission for the purpose of providing matching funds to purchase soil conservation equipment.

SECTION 16. Of the funds appropriated in this act, no more than One Hundred Seventy-five Thousand Dollars ($175,000.00) is provided for the purpose of supporting the Future Farmers of America Center.

SECTION 17. The State Department of Education shall transfer the designated amounts to the appropriate entities, which shall assume full responsibility for the expenditure of these funds in accordance with state laws and accept all responsibility for any improper expenditure, for the following:

Detention Centers...................................... $900,000

Dubard School.......................................... $575,000

Dyslexia Program....................................... $225,000

Jobs for MS Graduates, Inc............................. $800,000

Stride................................................. $600,000

Life Tracks (SLDS)..................................... $400,000

Amplify Data Coaching.................................. $800,000

Magnolia Speech School................................. $500,000

Mississippi Arts Commission - Arts Institute............ $40,000

Mississippi Autism..................................... $160,000

MS Symphony............................................. $50,000

New Learning Resource, Inc............................. $200,000

Principal Corp......................................... $400,000

Sight Savers........................................... $341,178

Teach for America.................................... $1,800,000

Teacher Corp........................................... $150,000

USM-Autism Program...................................... $40,000

Children's Center for Comm & Develop................... $574,032

Very Special Arts Program............................... $40,000

Vision Screening Research.............................. $178,822

Univ of Miss - Willie Price Lab School................. $200,000

Algebra Nation......................................... $500,000

Save the Children....................................... $50,000

Mississippi Construction Education Program............. $112,500

Microsoft IT Academy................................... $250,000

Jumpstart ACT.......................................... $100,000

Total........................................... $ 9,986,532

SECTION 18. The State Board of Education shall expend one-half (.50) of any funds appropriated in Section 17 of this Act from July 1, 2019 until January 1, 2020. The remaining amount of appropriation shall not be provided until the Joint Legislative Committee on Performance Evaluation and Expenditure Review (PEER) has received a progress report on the effectiveness of these programs, based on the standards for high-quality research set forth in Sections 27-103-159(1)(a)(b), Mississippi Code of 1972, from the entities receiving funds by December 15, 2019. PEER shall provide written guidance to entities as to the format and contents of the required progress reports. The following shall provide the reports: Jobs for Mississippi Graduates, Stride, Algebra Nation, Jumpstart ACT.

SECTION 19. Of the funds appropriated in this act, an amount not to exceed One Million Three Hundred Thousand Dollars ($1,300,000.00) shall be used for technological methods for agricultural programs, computer science, engineering or robotic engineering programs and equipment upgrades and Mississippi Elementary (ME) STEM and STEAM programs from the Career and Technical Education Division of the State Department of Education. All programs must meet Mississippi Science Standards and/or College and Career Standards.

SECTION 20. Of the funds appropriated in Section 1, the sum of Sixty-two Thousand One Hundred Ninety-one Dollars ($62,191.00), which is the aggregate sum that the school districts in the Chickasaw Cession receive annually from interest payments from the Chickasaw School Fund under Section 212, Mississippi Constitution of 1890, shall be deducted from the allocations to the school districts as provided in Section 29-3-137, Mississippi Code of 1972, and shall be distributed among the school districts in the Chickasaw Cession by the State Department of Education in the manner that those interest payments were distributed during Fiscal Year 1985.

SECTION 21. Of the funds provided in this act for the purpose of funding the Mississippi Adequate Education Program as determined under Section 37-151-7, Mississippi Code of 1972, the base student cost in Fiscal Year 2019 shall be Five Thousand Six Hundred Eighty-five and Sixty-five Cents ($5,685.65).

SECTION 22. Of the funds appropriated under the provisions of this act, the following positions are authorized for the Mississippi School for the Blind and the Mississippi School for the Deaf:

AUTHORIZED POSITIONS:

Permanent: Full Time........... 181

Part Time........... 18

Time-Limited: Full Time........... 1

Part Time........... 0

SECTION 23. With the funds provided in this act, it is the intention of the Legislature that School Attendance Officers and academic teachers at the Mississippi School for the Deaf and the Mississippi School for the Blind shall receive their annual increment.

SECTION 24. It is the intention of the Legislature that the State Board of Education shall maintain complete accounting and personnel records related to the expenditure of all funds appropriated in this act and that those records shall be in the same format and level of details as maintained for Fiscal Year 2019. It is further the intention of the Legislature that the budget requests for Fiscal Year 2021 shall be submitted to the Joint Legislative Budget Committee in a format and level of detail comparable to the format and level of detail provided during the Fiscal Year 2020 budget request process for each agency and institution appropriated funds within the provisions of this act.

SECTION 25. Of the funds appropriated in Section 1(a) to the State Board of Education, not less than Twenty-three Million Eighty Thousand Dollars ($23,080,000.00) shall be used for National Board Certification. Of this amount, Five Hundred Thousand Dollars ($500,000.00) shall be used for the World Class Teacher Program providing instruction and assistance to teachers seeking National Board Certification.

SECTION 26. Of the funds appropriated in Section 1 and Section 4(a) not less than Fifteen Million Fifty-eight Thousand Dollars ($15,058,000.00) shall be used for the Educable Child Program. It is the intention of the Legislature that the State Board of Education shall allocate funding for the Educable Child Program based upon a recalculated formula in a manner to include only those billable days funded through appropriation of state funds and not District funds. It is the intent of the Legislature that the Educable Child funds shall be exempt from budget cuts made to the Department of Education by the Legislature and/or the Office of the Governor.

SECTION 27. Of the funds appropriated in Section 1(a) and Section 4(a), not less than Three Million Dollars ($3,000,000.00) shall be used for the Education Scholarship Account (ESA) Program. It is the intent of the Legislature that the Education Scholarship Account (ESA) funds shall not be reduced by the State Department of Education and/or the Office of the Governor.

SECTION 28. The public school districts of the state are authorized at their discretion to pay with local funds one hundred percent (100%) of the cost of the health insurance premiums of the State and School Employees Health Insurance Plan for all retired members of the Public Employees' Retirement System who are employed as school bus drivers by the school districts. It is the intention of the Legislature that no state funds shall be used for this purpose.

SECTION 29. It is the intention of the Legislature that whenever two (2) or more bids are received by this agency for the purchase of commodities or equipment, and whenever all things stated in those received bids are equal with respect to price, quality and service, the Mississippi Industries for the Blind shall be given preference. A similar preference shall be given to the Mississippi Industries for the Blind whenever purchases are made without competitive bids.

SECTION 30. Of the funds appropriated in Section 1, not less than Six Million Three Hundred Twenty-one Thousand Nine Hundred Twenty-seven Dollars ($6,321,927.00) shall be used for the Compulsory School Attendance Office and School Attendance Officers.

SECTION 31. Of the funds appropriated in this act, it is the intention of the Legislature that Three Million Sixty Thousand Dollars ($3,060,000.00) shall be used for the Mary Kirkpatrick-Mary Sprayberry Public School Nurse Program. The amount of Three Million Sixty Thousand Dollars ($3,060,000.00) is provided from the Department of Health.

SECTION 32. The State Department of Education shall contract with a Certified Public Accountant to calculate components of the Mississippi Adequate Education Program to include the base student cost, school district allocations, total program cost, add-on programs, and any other required components of Section 37-151-7, Mississippi Code of 1972. The contractor shall be responsible for calculating the estimates of these components due to the Legislative Budget Office and the Governor by August 1 and the final estimates due to the Legislative Budget Office and the Governor no later than January 2. A report detailing the funding of this contract shall be submitted by the State Department of Education to the Legislature no later than January 30, 2020.

SECTION 33. Of the funds appropriated in this act, it is the intention of the Legislature that Twenty Million Dollars ($20,000,000.00) from the Public School Building Fund shall be used for the Mississippi Adequate Education Program.

SECTION 34. It is the intention of the Legislature that the State Board of Education shall charge a fee for room and board for students who enroll in the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science and the Mississippi School of Arts. Such fees will be waived for any student enrolled in the State Children's Health Insurance Program. The amount of such fees shall be Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00) for each semester.

SECTION 35. It is the intent of the Legislature that each eligible employee who meets the National Board requirements under Section 37-19-7(2), Mississippi Code of 1972, shall be paid the full supplement and that such supplement shall be included on a prorated basis in the employee's monthly paycheck.

SECTION 36. It is the intention of the Legislature that the Mississippi Department of Education may loan any general or special source fund amount, not to exceed Five Million Dollars ($5,000,000.00), to any school district for the purpose of providing funds to school districts through the Emergency Assistance Fund as outlined in Section 37-17-6, Mississippi Code of 1972, during the period beginning July 1, 2019, and ending June 30, 2020. The school districts receiving these loans shall repay the Mississippi Department of Education the amount of the loan on or before June 30, 2020.

SECTION 37. Of the funds appropriated in Section 1(a), Twenty-four Million Nine Hundred Ninety-two Thousand Two Hundred One Dollars ($24,992,201.00) shall be used for the School Recognition Program authorized by Section 37-19-10, Mississippi Code of 1972.

SECTION 38. Of the funds appropriated in Section 1(a), Seven Hundred Thousand Dollars ($700,000.00) shall be transferred to the Board of Health no later than December 31, 2019.

SECTION 39. Any school district receiving funds through Save the Children and Stride may provide a ten percent (10%) match from local funds for implementation of the program.

SECTION 40. Of the funds appropriated in Section 1(a), Two Million Dollars ($2,000,000.00) is provided for the Mississippi Community Oriented Policing Services in Schools (MCOPS) grant program. A portion of these funds not to exceed three percent (3%) may be used for training and administrative costs related to oversight and auditing of the program.

SECTION 41. Of the funds appropriated in Section 1(a), Four Million Dollars ($4,000,000.00) is provided for an Early Childhood Education Initiative program. Of the funds provided herein, it is the intention of the Legislature that no new funds may be expended to defray the costs of any pre-kindergarten program that has not been determined by the Joint Legislative Committee on Performance Evaluation and Expenditure Review to be evidence-based or research-based programs as those terms are defined by Section 27-103-159(1), Mississippi Code of 1972.

SECTION 42. Of the funds appropriated in Section 1(a) and Section 4(a), Fifteen Million Ninety-four Thousand Five Hundred Dollars ($15,094,500.00) shall be used for the Literacy Initiative and Assessment. Of the funds appropriated in Section 1(a), Ninety-four Thousand Five Hundred Dollars ($94,500.00) shall be used for the Mississippi Center for Excellence in Literacy Instruction.

SECTION 43. Of the funds appropriated in Section 1(b), One Hundred Sixty Thousand Dollars ($160,000.00) is provided for the Smart Lab project.

SECTION 44. Of the funds appropriated herein, funding is provided for the ACT test, which is the college readiness portion of the state accountability model.

SECTION 45. Of the funds appropriated in Section 1(a), Two Million Five Hundred Forty-five Thousand One Hundred Fifty-eight Dollars ($2,545,158.00) shall be used for the Mississippi School of the Arts and Three Million Four Hundred Fifty-five Thousand Seven Hundred Ninety Dollars ($3,455,790.00) shall be used for the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science. It is the intention of the Legislature that the State Board of Education shall not reduce the appropriated amounts provided in this Act for the Mississippi School of the Arts and the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science.

SECTION 46. The money appropriated in this act shall be paid by the State Treasurer out of any money in the proper fund or funds as set forth in this act, upon warrants issued by the State Fiscal Officer; and the State Fiscal Officer shall issue his warrants upon requisitions signed by the proper person, officer or officers in the manner provided by law.

SECTION 47. It is the intent of the Legislature that each eligible professional school counselor employee who meets the year of teaching experience requirements under Section 37-151-5(m), Mississippi Code of 1972, shall be considered having a year of experience for purposes of the annual experience salary increment.

SECTION 48. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2019.