With all of the cuts and actions being taken in Washington, it has a lot of schools watching and wondering what will happen to funding such as Title I, IDEA, and Child Nutrition will be affected.
During a Mississippi Department of Education board meeting, this discussion as the discussion of DEI in public schools came up.
In a Magnolia Tribune story, Board President Glenn East explained to the members that Title I dollars are codified into law and cannot be affected by an executive order.
As a result, MDE can expect to continue receiving Title I, IDEA and Child Nutrition funding, unless Congress decides to take up those matters.
Of the total funding used to support Mississippi’s education system, Dr. Evans explained that 23 percent of that funding is federal, 45 percent comes from the state, and the remaining 32 percent comes from local tax collections.
Unwinding of DEI
The story also talked about DEI and a letter received from the U.S. Department of Education.
Dr. Evans told the Board that MDE had received a compliance letter from the U.S. Department of Education stating that all school districts across all states will need to comply with the federal government’s anti-discrimination obligations to continue receiving federal assistance.
That letter has been passed on to all Mississippi school districts.
“As you know, we are a local control state. Local districts make those decisions. We don’t make those decisions for them,” Evans added.
The notice comes as the Trump Administration seeks to unwind diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices within the federal government.
Dr. Evans added that the Mississippi Legislature did pass HB 1193, which prohibits public K-12 schools as well as public colleges and universities from engaging in discriminatory practices under the banner of DEI as it relates to employment and student achievement. Violators could face a loss in state funding.
“This act seeks to ensure that employment, academic opportunities and student engagement are based solely on individual merit, qualifications and academic performance, without consideration of an individual’s views on diversity, equity and inclusion,” the legislation states.
Governor Tate Reeves has until April 24 to sign the bill into law, veto it, or allow it to become law without his signature.
U.S. History State Test
The first portion of the story talked about the U.S. History test that the State of Mississippi is considering removing from state graduation requirements.
During discussion on the matter, Board member Mary Werner asked if removing the end-of-course testing would affect student’s understanding of state and national history.
Dr. Paula Vanderford, Chief Accountability Officer, clarified that while end-of-course U.S. History testing will not be required for graduation, those history courses will still be required during the course of a student’s education. An exam for each history course will also be administered. Vanderford added that there is no state or federal requirement for U.S. History end-of-course testing.
The 50 points allotted to U.S. History in end-of-course testing will be moved to the Mississippi Readiness Index, which will allow districts to select another option under the state’s readiness component, Vanderford explained.
The Department of Education is seeking to reduce the testing burden on students.
“It’s the only test right now that’s not required by federal state law, so it’s the only test that’s optional to be removed,” said Vanderford.
Roughly 70 percent of students have passed the U.S. History test over the last three school years, up from 47 percent in 2021.
The Board voted to move forward in the process, which now allows for public input on the proposed change before a final decision is made.
Werner voted against making the change.
