2015/05/19 – The Mississippi Secretary of State’s Office will hold eight hearings across the state about Initiative Measure 42 and Alternative Measure 42-A.

Initiative 42 seeks to amend the constitution to require that Mississippi fully fund public schools in accordance with the Mississippi Adequate Education Program (MAEP). It also gives the chancery court the power to enforce the requirement.

The legislature has only fully funded MAEP twice, in the election-year sessions of 2003 and 2007. They also voted for full funding in the 2008 and 2009 sessions, but mid-year budget cuts during the recession kept that from happening.

Since then, the state has come up more than $1.5 billion short of what the formula says is necessary to meet mid-level academic standards.

The alternative to the initiative, passed by the Legislature early in the session, changes the wording “adequate and efficient” public school system to “effective” public school system. It also keeps funding decisions in the hands of the legislature.

A lawsuit challenging the wording of Alternative Measure 42-A is pending before the Mississippi Supreme Court.

“Our Agency wants to give as many Mississippians as possible the opportunity to attend one of the initiative hearings,” said Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann in a press release Tuesday. “We have scheduled more hearings than required in geographically proportionate areas across the State to grant more access to our citizens to have a voice in this process.”

The law requires the agency to hold one hearing in each of the five old congressional districts.

All hearings will be transcribed and placed on the Secretary of State’s website at www.sos.ms.gov. The Secretary of State’s Office will accept written comments as well for inclusion on the website.

Mississippi voters will have the opportunity to either vote in favor of or against Initiative Measure 42 and Alternative Measure 42A on the November 3, 2015 General Election.

All hearings will begin promptly at 5:30 pm. The hearing dates are as follows:

Jackson – August 11, JSU e-Center

Hernando – August 13, Gale Center

Tupelo – August 17, The Link Centre

Meridian – August 20, Temple Theater

Cleveland – August 27, Bologna Center – Delta State University

Hattiesburg – September 1, Jackie Dole Sherrill Community Center

Biloxi – September 3, Lynn Meadows Center

Brookhaven – September 8, MS School for the Arts – Auditorium

Source: The Clarion-Ledger