House Bill NO. 1611

By Senator(s) Committee

SECTION 1. The following sums, or so much thereof as may be necessary, are hereby appropriated out of any money in the State General Fund not otherwise appropriated, to the State Department of Education for the support and maintenance of the common schools of Mississippi and for the Minimum Education Program for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2001, and ending June 30, 2002, as follows:

For the support and maintenance

of the common schools

(Common School Fund) $ 5,000,000.00

An additional sum, to be known as

the Minimum Education Program Fund,

to be disbursed by the State Department

of Education in compliance with the laws

enacted at the Extraordinary Session

of 1953, as amended $1,215,974,969.00

Total $1,220,974,969.00

SECTION 2. The following sum, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is hereby appropriated out of the Education Enhancement Fund pursuant to Sections 27-65-75 and 27-67-31, Mississippi Code of 1972, to the State Department of Education for the purpose of providing Fifteen Million Five Hundred Sixty-five Thousand Eight Hundred Ninety Dollars ($15,565,890.00) for transportation, Five Million Seven Hundred Thirty-four Thousand Eight Hundred Thirty-one Dollars ($5,734,831.00) for teacher assistants, Thirty-three Million Seven Hundred Eighty-three Thousand Three Hundred One Dollars ($33,783,301.00) for public school employee health insurance for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2001, and ending June 30, 2002 $ 55,084,022.00.

SECTION 3. Of the funds appropriated to the Minimum Education Program Fund under the provisions of Sections 1 and 2, the estimated amount that shall be expended in each of the following elements of the Minimum Education Program shall be:

District Administration: Salaries............$ 2,894,954.00

Fringe Benefits..... 460,298.00

Local Administration: Salaries............ 1,799,465.00

Fringe Benefits..... 286,115.00

Teacher Compensation:

Regular Units: Salaries............ 597,828,654.00

Fringe Benefits..... 95,054,756.00

Special Education Units: Salaries............ 131,708,460.00

Fringe Benefits..... 20,941,645.00

Gifted Education Units: Salaries............ 23,092,750.00 Fringe Benefits..... 3,671,747.00

Vocational Units: Salaries............ 34,233,522.00

Fringe Benefits..... 5,443,130.00

Teacher Assistants: Salaries............ 46,825,000.00

Fringe Benefits..... 7,445,175.00

Supportive Services:

Regular: Salaries............ 122,317,806.00

Fringe Benefits..... 19,448,531.00

Insurance.................................. 114,960,758.00

Transportation: Operations........... 52,265,890.00 Alternative Schools............................ 17,706,876.00

Extended School Term for

Handicapped Students......................... 2,168,659.00

Bus Driver Training............................ 144,800.00

Orthopedic and Aphasic......................... 460,000.00

Total Cost................................$1,301,158,991.00

Less: Ad Valorem Tax................. 24,000,000.00

Severance Tax.................. 1,100,000.00

Appropriated Amount.......................$1,276,058,991.00

The above sum is intended to provide a level of support for eighteen thousand twenty-one (18,021) regular teacher units, four thousand one hundred ninety (4,190) special education teacher units, seven hundred ten (710) gifted education teacher units, one thousand seventy-seven (1,077) vocational teacher units and five thousand (5,000) teacher assistant units.

Any transfers or escalations shall be made in accordance with the terms, conditions, and procedures established by general law.

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.

The State Department of Education, in reporting expenditures and disbursements to the Legislature, shall report the amounts expended and disbursed in categories corresponding to the elements outlined in this section.

SECTION 4. The State Department of Education is authorized to transfer district allotments for insurance separately from regular Minimum Program allotments to insure funds are received by school districts for timely payment of premiums.

SECTION 5. In compliance with the "Mississippi Performance Budget and Strategic Planning Act of 1994," it is the intent of the Legislature that the funds provided herein shall be utilized in the most efficient and effective manner possible to achieve the intended mission of this agency. Based on the funding authorized, this agency shall make every effort to attain the targeted performance measures provided below:

FY02

Performance Measures Target

Regular Education

Teacher Units Funded (Units) 18,021

Teacher Assistants (Persons) 5,000

Cost per Student Served (Dollars) 1,807

Special Education

Teacher Units Funded (Units) 4,190

Students Served (Persons) 70,400

Cost per Student Served (Dollars) 2,536

Vocational Education

Teacher Units Funded (Units) 1,077

Students Served (Persons) 164,106

Cost per Student Served (Dollars) 290

Gifted Education

Teacher Units Funded (Units) 710

Students Served (Persons) 28,500

Cost per Student Served (Dollars) 1,093

Alternative Education

Students Served (Persons) 5,075

Cost per Student Served (Dollars) 3,489

Transportation

Students Transported (Persons) 408,000

Cost Per Student Served (Dollars) 130

Insurance

Participants (Persons) 48,579

Cost Per Participant (Dollars) 2,400

Special Programs

Extended School Year Program Students (Persons) 1,200

Orthopedic/Aphasic Students (Persons) 100

Cost per Othopedic & Aphasic Student (Dollars) 4,600

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 2003.

SECTION 6. It is the intention of the Legislature that the State Department of Education be allowed to receive, budget and expend funds from any source available not to exceed Ten Million Dollars ($10,000,000.00), that may become available to the department in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Department of Finance and Administration.

SECTION 7. With the funds herein appropriated, it is the intention of the Legislature that the State Board of Education is hereby authorized to provide salary increases for teachers, teacher assistants and locally paid teachers in such a manner that each teacher with less than twenty-five (25) years of teaching experience shall receive an increase of Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00) to their base salary, each teacher with twenty-five (25) or more years of teaching experience shall receive an increase of One Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00) to their base salary, each teacher assistant shall receive an increase of Two Hundred Fifty Dollars ($250.00) to their base salary, and each public school district shall receive an increase of One Hundred Thirty-six Dollars ($136.00) for supportive services allotments.

SECTION 8. The money herein appropriated shall be paid by the State Treasurer out of any money in the State Treasury to the credit of 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 9. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2001.