Amendment_Report_for

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, 2020, and ending June 30, 2021, 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... $ 113,895,968.00.

(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..................................

........................................... $ 71,630,741.00.

(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... $ 15,961,151.00.

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

.............................................$ 1,933,248,822.00.

(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...........$ 9,244,407.00.

TOTAL AMOUNT OF STATE GENERAL FUNDS APPROPRIATED

BY THIS SECTION BEING....................$ 2,143,981,089.00.

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, 2020, and ending June 30, 2021, 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 $ 902,791,576.00.

(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..................................

........................................... $ 20,981,914.00.

(c) To the State Board of Education for the purpose of defraying the expenses of the Mississippi Adequate Education Program.... $ 255,389,519.00.

(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........................ $ 2,158,848.00.

TOTAL AMOUNT OF SPECIAL FUNDS APPROPRIATED

BY THIS SECTION BEING............... $ 1,181,321,857.00.

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.....................

..............................................$ 235,389,519.00.

(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........... 362

Part Time........... 2

Time-Limited: Full Time........... 162

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 2022 do not exceed Fiscal Year 2021 funds appropriated for that purpose, unless programs or positions are added to the agency's Fiscal Year 2021 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 2021 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 2021 "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:

FY2021

Performance Measures Target

Special Education

Special Education teachers (FTE) (Number of) 6,248

Gifted Education teachers (FTE) (Number of) 805

Increase percentage of children with

disabilities in general education early

childhood programs while decreasing the

percentage in self-contained special

education early childhood classrooms (%) 76.00

General Administration

Total Dollars Spent on General

Administration ($) 26,532,257.00

Total Budget Spent on General

Administration (%) 18.58

Create a public-facing data system for

all stakeholders (%) 100.00

Create a user-friendly website for the

public and school districts to access

data to make decisions (%) 100.00

Create a roadmap to improve the

Mississippi Student Information System

(%) 100.00

Publish research results to support

improved student outcomes and teacher

effectiveness (Number of) 9

Graduation & Career Readiness

Increase the percentage of students

graduating from high school ready for

college or career in each subgroup (%) 86.43

Early Childhood Education

Increase percentage of kindergarten

students achieving end-of-year target

score on Kindergarten Readiness

post-test (%) 68.88

Increase the percentage of Early

Learning Collaborative sites meeting

required rate of readiness (%) 95.00

Increase number of students enrolled in

Title I or locally funded pre-K classes

(Number of) 8,022

Teacher Tng & Professional Dev

Increase the percentage of districts

reporting Professional Growth System

(PGS) ratings for teachers and leaders

(%) 79.00

Increase the number of licensed, diverse

teachers and leaders (Number of) 46

Increase the percentage of teacher

candidates passing licensure exams on

the first attempt (%) 12.00

Reduce the proportion of inexperienced

and non-certified teachers in schools

that are High Poverty (%) 22.00

Reduce the proportion of inexperienced

and non-certified teachers in schools

that are High Minority (%) 2.00

Elementary Education

Increase the percentage of students who

pass the 3rd grade reading assessment at

the first administration in each

subgroup (%) 80.00

Secondary Education

Increase the percentage of students

participating in and passing Advanced

Placement (AP), International

Baccalaureate (IB) and Cambridge exams

in each subgroup (%) 37.00

Increase the percentage of students

ready for college as measured by meeting

ACT benchmarks in each content area

(public school class data, grade 11) (%) 11.00

Assessment & Development

Increase the percentage of students

proficient (levels 4 and 5) on statewide

assessments (grades 3-8) and high

school composite) in each subgroup (%) 50.07

Decrease the percentage of students

scoring levels 1-3 on statewide

assessments in each subgroup (%) 49.93

Increase percentage of pre-kindergarten

students in public schools attaining

kindergarten readiness on the pre-K

end-of-year assessment (%) 72.00

School Performance

Increase the percentage of schools rated

"C" or higher (%) 77.00

Increase the percentage of districts

rated "C" or higher (%) 72.90

Increase the percentage of students

demonstrating growth on statewide ELA

assessments in each subgroup (%) 65.63

Increase the percentage of students

demonstrating growth on statewide Math

assessments in each subgroup (%) 64.43

Increase the percentage of students

participating in dual credit in each

subgroup (%) 50.00

Increase the percentage of students

passing dual credit in each subgroup (%) 98.00

Increase the growth of D and F districts

demonstrating growth, by improving the

letter grade and/or increasing the

number of points within a letter grade

(%) 76.00

Increase the growth of D and F schools

demonstrating growth, by improving the

letter grade and/or increasing the

number of points within a letter grade

(%) 70.00

Increase the growth of Districts of

Transformation by improving the letter

grade and/or increasing the number of

points within a letter grade (%) 100.00

Increase the growth of schools under

Districts of Transformation by improving

the letter grade and/or increasing the

number of points within a letter grade

(%) 100.00

Decrease the number of high schools

rated D or F (Number of) 55

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 2022.

SECTION 7. 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 8. 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 9. 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 10. 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........... 49

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

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

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

SECTION 11. 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 12. 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 13. 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 14. 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............................... $ 900,000.00.

Dubard School................................... $ 575,000.00.

Dyslexia Program................................ $ 225,000.00.

Jobs for MS Graduates, Inc...................... $ 800,000.00.

Stride.......................................... $ 600,000.00.

Amplify Data Coaching........................... $ 800,000.00.

Magnolia Speech School.......................... $ 550,000.00.

Mississippi Arts Commission - Arts Institute.... $ 40,000.00.

Mississippi Autism.............................. $ 160,000.00.

Mississippi Symphony............................ $ 50,000.00.

New Learning Resource, Inc...................... $ 200,000.00.

Principal Corp.................................. $ 400,000.00.

Sight Savers.................................... $ 341,178.00.

Teach for America............................... $ 1,800,000.00.

Teacher Corp.................................... $ 200,000.00.

USM-Autism Program.............................. $ 40,000.00.

Children's Center for Comm & Develop............ $ 574,032.00.

Very Special Arts Program....................... $ 40,000.00.

Vision Screening Research....................... $ 225,000.00.

Univ of Miss - Willie Price Lab School.......... $ 200,000.00.

Algebra Nation.................................. $ 700,000.00.

Save the Children............................... $ 75,000.00.

Mississippi Construction Education Program...... $ 112,500.00.

Microsoft IT Academy............................ $ 250,000.00.

Jumpstart ACT................................... $ 150,000.00.

CampusKnot...................................... $ 75,000.00.

Drop-out Prevention Vicksburg – Leader in me.... $ 75,000.00.

Mastery Prep.................................... $ 75,000.00.

Total....................................... $ 10,232,710.00.

SECTION 15. Of the funds appropriated in this act, an amount not to exceed One Million Five Hundred Thousand Dollars ($1,500,000.00) 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.

Of the funds appropriated in this Section, an amount not to exceed Sixty Thousand Dollars ($60,000.00) shall be used for a certification pilot program for agriculture. Of the funds appropriated in this section, an amount not to exceed Three Hundred Thousand Dollars ($300,000.00) shall be distributed to the Mississippi State University Center for Cyber Education and used for computer science programs development and teacher training for elementary schools, middle schools, and high schools for the purpose of developing K-12 computer science curricula, including both academic and career and technical education programs, developing and delivering teacher training, and working with the State Board of Education and Institutions of Higher Learning in the state to develop teacher preparation programs for computer science endorsements. All programs must meet the 2018 Mississippi Computer Science Standards and/or Mississippi College and Career Standards.

SECTION 16. 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 17. 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 2021 shall be Five Thousand Eight Hundred Twenty-nine Dollars and Thirty-five Cents ($5,829.35).

SECTION 18. 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 19. 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 20. 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 detail as maintained for Fiscal Year 2020. It is further the intention of the Legislature that the budget requests for Fiscal Year 2022 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 2021 budget request process for each agency and institution appropriated funds within the provisions of this act.

SECTION 21. 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, Six Hundred Thousand Dollars ($600,000.00) shall be used for the World Class Teacher Program providing instruction and assistance to teachers seeking National Board Certification.

SECTION 22. 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 23. 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 24. 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 25. 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 26. 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 27. 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 28. 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, 2021.

SECTION 29. 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 30. 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 31. 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 32. 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, 2020, and ending June 30, 2021. The school districts receiving these loans shall repay the Mississippi Department of Education the amount of the loan on or before June 30, 2021.

SECTION 33. 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 34. 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, 2020.

SECTION 35. 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 36. 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 37. Of the funds appropriated in Section 1(a), Six Million Six Hundred Ninety-nine Thousand Five Hundred Seventeen Dollars ($6,699,517.00) 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 38. 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 39. Of the funds appropriated herein, funding is provided for the ACT test, which is the college readiness portion of the state accountability model.

SECTION 40. Of the funds appropriated in Section 1(a), Two Million Five Hundred Eighty-four Thousand Four Hundred Eleven Dollars ($2,584,411.00) shall be used for the Mississippi School of the Arts and Three Million Seven Hundred Twenty-seven Thousand Four Hundred Seventy Dollars ($3,727,470.00) 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 41. Of the funds appropriated in Section 1(b) and Section 2(b), Five Hundred Thousand Dollars ($500,000.00) is provided for career and technical grants to schools for qualified students as authorized by Section 37-153-15, Mississippi Code of 1972.

SECTION 42. 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 43. 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 44. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2020, and shall stand repealed June 30, 2020.