Rep. Cecil Brown: Mississippi students deserve better education funding

April 2, 2012

As we approach the final weeks of the legislative session, House and Senate budget chairmen have begun to allocate funds among the various needs.  The largest budget item is spending for K-12 public education. This budget, which was more than $2 billion last year, is funded through the Mississippi Adequate Education Program (MAEP) formula.  MAEP was adopted by the legislature in 1997 to insure that every school district has the resources to provide every student with the opportunity to achieve an “adequate” education. In addition, the formula is designed to provide a fair distribution of state funding among property rich and property poor districts. As a result of the declining revenues, for the last several years this budget has been funded between $230million and $250 million per year below what MAEP requires.

To make up for the cuts in state funding, in some districts local ad valorem taxes were increased.  However, in districts with low property tax valuations, local tax increases could not make up for the cuts from the state. As a result, last year alone more than 2,000 school employees lost their jobs, including 800 teachers. In addition, many districts furloughed staff, effectively cutting their pay by 3%.

After initially talking about additional  cuts to the education budget, Senate and House Republicans and the Governor are currently proposing to “level fund” next year’s MAEP budget.   What they do not say is that this “level funding” is at a level that is still $250 million short of full funding.   House and Senate Democrats have proposed a different plan, a gradual increase for MAEP with a goal of returning to full funding when revenues allow it. 

Democrats do not argue for immediate full funding of MAEP. The state cannot afford to do that.  But continuing to underfund the MAEP formula will result in additional layoffs of instructional personnel, fewer opportunities for advanced placement and other advanced courses, reductions in extra-curricular activities and continued increased local property taxes. In addition, because the MAEP formula is designed to help the poorer districts achieve equitable funding, any shortfalls in funding have a negatively disproportionate effect on those districts with the greatest needs.

Just two weeks ago, the Joint Legislative Budget Committee voted to increase the estimate of available tax revenues by $100 million this year and an additional $125 million next year.  Allocating $25-$50 million of these funds to the MAEP budget this year is a logical step in moving back toward full funding.  The money will be of immense help to our local schools and can easily be absorbed by the recently increased revenue projection.

Economic experts agree that the key to increasing both personal wealth and the economy in general is increasing workers’ levels of education.  The job market continues to demand higher skill levels, and those skills must be taught.  We should demand that our schools be efficient, but we must also realize that we cannot continue to fund our public schools $250 million below an “adequate” level and expect better than adequate results.

Cecil Brown

House of Representatives
District 66
Jackson, MS
601-362-8383 (h)
601-709-4393 (o)

Senate Democrats oppose "spoils system" bill

March 22, 2012

No “Spoils System” in Mississippi

On March 15, the State Senate passed a bill to return Mississippi to the “spoils system,” where political officeholders can give government jobs to friends as political favors and to entrench themselves in power.  These taxpayer jobs are handed out based on WHO a person knows, not WHAT he or she knows.  As Democratic members of the Senate, we oppose this proposal and want to tell you why.

Mississippi fought battles against the spoils system thirty years ago.  The State Supreme Court ruled that the state had no justifiable system to guard against discrimination claims and salary abuses.  Following scandals under Gov. Cliff Finch, the Legislature created the State Personnel Board to ensure that “state service” government jobs were based on merit and objective criteria.  Among its other duties, the Board does three things: sets basic qualifications for certain jobs, sets consistent salary ranges to prevent favoritism, and ensures that a person cannot be hired or fired for political reasons (such as involvement in political campaigns).

Senate Bill No. 2380 removes all state employees from policies set by the Personnel Board.  This bill is bad policy and ought to be rejected.  Mississippi and 47 other states have basic civil service protections to keep politics out of who is hired and fired in state government.  This bill would allow an agency head to fire an employee for no reason and to hire cronies without any competitive process.

Today, there are approximately 36,500 state jobs (both filled and vacant) from mental health workers to game wardens to accountants.  About 28,500 are state service positions and 8,000 are non-state service positions.  Non-state service positions (sometimes called “will and pleasure” jobs) are filled by appointment when new leaders are elected or appointed.  They are not subject to most Personnel Board rules.  For example, a new Governor gets to name his staff and leaders at many state agencies.  This is appropriate so that people elected to office can implement their agenda.  State service employees, usually at the lower end of the pay scale, provide continuity under different administrations.

In this way, government is fundamentally different from business: we have regular elections and need to retain qualified professional staff.  We shouldn’t throw everyone out every four years.

This practice is basic to modern government.  The bipartisan Mississippi legislative PEER committee wrote in 2008:  “All executive branch employees, except agency directors and employees who work under the direct confidential control of agency directors, should be subject to the authority of the State Personnel Board.”

The Personnel Board is composed of five members appointed by the Governor.  Today, all five members of the board were appointed by former Gov. Haley Barbour.  They set the rules.  According to PEER, the Board and former Executive Director Lynn Fitch (now State Treasurer) have “implemented changes … to make the agency less bureaucratic and more service-oriented.”  If there the current rules are cumbersome “red tape” then Gov. Barbour’s appointees ought to change them.

Since 2010, the Personnel Board has worked with agency heads to cut almost 600 positions.  The average time it took to approve these cuts?  Twelve days.  This is proof that current Personnel Board policies can work efficiently to reduce the size of government when needed.

One of the primary reasons for establishing the Personnel Board was get control of salaries. Without oversight, we will see outrageous salaries handed out to political friends and campaign workers.  In addition, basic qualification standards (such as academic credentials, experience) to hold any job can be easily circumvented.

Forty-eight states have basic civil protections for a reason.  Mississippi does not need to return to the days of political cronyism to fill the public payroll.  We ought to protect and improve the Personnel Board, not abolish it.

SIGNED:

Senator Bill Stone – District 2

Senator Hob Bryan – District 7
Senator Russell Jolly – District 8
Senator Steve Hale – District 10
Senator Robert Jackson – District 11
Senator Derrick Simmons – District 12
Senator Bennie Turner – District 16
Senator Kenny Wayne Jones – District 21
Senator David Jordan – District 24
Senator John Horhn – District 26
Senator Hillman Frazier – District 27
Senator David Blount – District 29
Senator Sampson Jackson – District 32
Senator Albert Butler – District 36
Senator Kelvin Butler – District 38
Senator Deborah Dawkins – District 48

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The Mississippi Democratic Trust seeks to help elect Democratic candidates who will provide sensible and responsible leadership for Mississippi. The Trust supports effective policies to address legitimate economic, education, healthcare, and public safety issues in our State. 

Democrats oppose cuts to education

Democrats oppose cuts to education

Mississippi Democratic Trust Press

Contact:          Brandon Jones, (228) 326-7649, director@msdemocratictrust.com

March 16, 2012

Jackson, MS – With the passing of another general bill deadline in the Mississippi legislature, Democrats in the House and Senate are returning their attention to the state budget and are again vowing to oppose the Republican plan to cut education by more than $100 million below last year’s appropriations.

Despite years of budget cuts to education, the Republican budget proposed by Governor Phil Bryant on January 31, 2012 would cut elementary education by nearly $73 million, community colleges by over $12 million, and Mississippi’s Institutions of Higher Learning by over $18 million.

"With the improving economy and improving tax collections, we have enough money to at least maintain last year's level of education funding," said Sen. Hob Bryan, D-Amory.  "It's hard to believe that Gov. Bryant would propose even deeper cuts to education when they simply aren't necessary.  I don't remember the Republicans promising to cut education during the campaign."

Even at last year’s level of appropriations, the state is short-changing public schools by $200 million, and they are trying to get by with hundreds of fewer teachers than before.

Rep. Cecil Brown (D-Jackson) said, “At a time when we should be preparing Mississippi students for success in an increasingly competitive job market, Republicans are proposing that we cut education by more than $100 million.  This proposal is out of touch with our current needs.” 

  

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The Mississippi Democratic Trust seeks to help elect Democratic candidates who will provide sensible and responsible leadership for Mississippi. The Trust supports effective policies to address legitimate economic, education, healthcare, and public safety issues in our State. 

Charter schools: Accountability is key

February 21, 2012

Jackson, MS - Today, the Mississippi Senate Education Committee passed Senate Bill 2401, the “Mississippi Public Charter Schools Act of 2012”.  During committee, Sen. David Blount (D-Jackson) offered an amendment to strip virtual charter schools from the bill.  The bill ultimately passed the full committee and will now be in line for consideration by the full Senate. 

Brandon Jones, Executive Director of the Mississippi Democratic Trust said, “Democrats are ready and willing to embrace any innovation that may improve the quality of education provided in Mississippi’s failing school districts but any change to our current system should account for those communities that are getting it right.”  Jones added, “If we introduce changes that ultimately serve to destabilize high performing schools, we will have done a disservice to the children in our best schools.”

Sen. Kelvin Butler (D-McComb) said, “Accountability is the key.  We should implement charter schools with a scalpel and not a cleaver.  This means limiting charters to underperforming districts and restricting the operation of virtual, online profit centers.”  Butler added, “There are groups who would like to profit off of Mississippi’s educational dilemma.  We have to make sure that any charter school bill contains safeguards that protect Mississippi children and Mississippi taxpayers.”

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Mississippi local libraries worth protecting

In his FY 2013 Budget Recommendation, Governor Phil Bryant stated that libraries are not an “appropriate government function” and are a “non-core area.”  Consistent with these beliefs, the Republican Budget calls for a 15% cut to Mississippi’s public libraries.  This proposed cut would be particularly painful to our local libraries as the Mississippi Library Commission has been cut by more than $3.4 million or 24% over the last three years.

In a letter to Governor Phil Bryant dated February 3, Ms. Sharman Bridges Smith, the Executive Director of the Mississippi Library Commission, expressed an understanding of the difficult challenges facing budget writers: “Librarians understand that these are difficult times and we expect to take cuts along with all other public entities.”  Even so, Ms. Smith noted, “These cuts have and continue to severely impact citizen access to the very priorities of your administration—jobs, early childhood literacy, and reading.”  To illustrate her point, Ms. Smith listed several services provided by Mississippi’s public libraries including:

• More than 37% of 2.7 million people using computers in public libraries each year are doing job searches or completing employment applications;
• Many local public libraries serve as WIN Job Centers; and
• More than 400,000 Mississippi children participate in 13,000 children’s programs each year.

Our local libraries help connect Mississippians to jobs, introduce children to books and encourage adults to continue learning long after their classroom days are over.  These essential services are worth protecting and deserve more credit than the Republican Budget allows.

Republican budget cuts education and asks local schools to make up the difference

Republican budget cuts education and asks local schools to make up the difference

Contacts          Brandon Jones

                        (228) 326-7649

                        director@msdemocratictrust.com

January 31, 2012

Jackson, MS- Today, Brandon Jones, Executive Director of the Mississippi Democratic Trust, joined Democratic members of the House and Senate to highlight the impact of cuts to K-12 education under the 2013 Republican budget.  The Republican budget plan, introduced today by Governor Phil Bryant, calls on school districts to contribute $72.9 million of their reserve funds to fill out the state education budget.

Jones said, “The Republican plan for education is simple: punish those school districts that have been prudent with their resources.”  Jones added, “During the campaign, Governor Bryant claimed to support full funding for public schools.  It is disappointing that his first budget as governor not only fails to provide full funding for our schools but comes in $73 million shy of level funding.”

Rep. Kelvin Buck (D-Holly Springs) said, “This budget represents a major step backward for Mississippi children.  With revenue up $85 million over estimate, it’s irresponsible to make deep cuts to education and ask our local schools to make up the difference.”   

  

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