Governor Tate Reeves released his FY 2026 Executive Budget Recommendation (EBR) Friday, November 15, 2024. The EBR recommends the following with regards to education:
MDE should revise the accountability system to place a greater weight on proficiency and less weight on growth in academic achievements.
The legislature should pass a Parents’ Bill of Rights to allow parents the right to review curriculum, course syllabi, books and other educational materials used in their children’s education. After reviewing the information, parents should be able to remove or withdraw their children from any course not required for graduation.
The governor supports creating a Model Mississippi Digital Responsibility Policy to provide a framework based on best practices for cell phone usage in schools, giving school districts the flexibility to tailor their own policies while still ensuring a consistent approach to student digital responsibility.
The legislature should appropriate $4.5 million to fund an additional 90 School-Based Therapists to close the gap in mental health services for students.
The legislature should increase funding for Mississippi’s Education Scholarship Account program (ESA) by $2 million for a total of $5 million. Governor Reeves also calls for the legislature to rescind language passed during the 2024 Legislative Session which he signed into law that requires a student to be accepted by a qualifying school before they may apply for the ESA voucher.
The EBR recommends a cut in state funds to MDE and does not recommend a funding increase for the Mississippi Student Funding Formula or Career Technical Education (CTE). With regards to higher education, the EBR cuts state funds for university support by $12.5 million, does not recommend a funding increase for student financial aid, and cuts state funds for community colleges by $32.5 million.
The Joint Legislative Budget Committee is scheduled to release its FY 2026 Legislative Budget Recommendation (LBR) on December 11. The LBR will drive development of the final FY 2026 budget during the upcoming legislative session.
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