2018 Senate Education Bill Summaries

The summaries attempt to highlight major components of each bill. Click on the bill number to read the bill in its entirety and to view the latest action.

SB 2003 – Natchez-Adams Special Municipal Separate School District; elect members of school board.

• To require the Board of Trustees of the Natchez-Adams Special Municipal Separate School District to be elected;
• To provide that the new Natchez-Adams County School Board shall be elected from districts that are the same as the Board of Supervisors District
• To provide that the election for the School Board shall be a nonpartisan election
• To prescribe the procedures to be used if a vacancy occurs on the School Board
• To provide that the candidate with the highest number of votes shall be declared elected

This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2018.
 

SB 2170 – Consolidation of Lumberton School District with Lamar County School District; ratify agreement between districts.

• To ratify the agreement between the school boards of Lumberton Public School District and Lamar County School District to dissolve the Lumberton Public School District and administrative office and consolidate the schools and territory of the Lumberton Public School District into the Lamar County School District
• To provide for the composition of a new school board for the consolidated district
• To provide for the transfer of property, tax assessments, assumption of debt, attendance boundaries, curriculum and programs, execution of employment contracts for certified and noncertified staff, preparation of budget and the establishment of a transition team for the consolidated district 

This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage.
 

SB 2400– School board members; uniform nonpartisan school board election beginning with the November 2023 general election 

• To enact the “Nonpartisan School Board Election Act”
• To provide that beginning with the November 2023 General Election,
• The members of the County Boards of Education,
• The Trustees of Consolidated School Districts,
• The Elected Trustees from the special Municipal Separate School Districts and trustees elected from added territory shall be elected in a nonpartisan election concurrent with the state general election
• To provide that the terms of office of all elected School Board Members shall be four years
• To provide for nominating petitions to run for the office of elected School Board Members and a uniform number of signatures on said petitions of nomination
• To provide the procedure for filling vacancies in the office of Elected School Board Members
• To require the Board of Trustees of the Natchez-Adams Special Municipal Separate School District to be elected
• To provide that the new Natchez-Adams County School Board shall be elected from districts that are the same as the Board of Supervisors Districts
• To provide that the election for the School Board shall be a nonpartisan election
• To prescribe the procedures to be used if a vacancy occurs on the School Board
• To provide that the candidate with the highest number of votes shall be declared elected
• To repeal code sections that provide certain methods for electing trustees of Municipal Separate School Districts from added territory

This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2018.
 

SB 2609 – State Department of Education to provide central business services for MSA and MSB/MSD; authorize. 

• To authorize and direct the State Department of Education to provide clerical, administrative, human resources, payroll and purchasing support for the Mississippi School of The Arts (MSA), the Mississippi School of The Blind and the Mississippi School for the Deaf (MSB/MSD)
• To Authorize the State Department of Education to promulgate policies for the utilization of the Central Business Services
• To provide that administrative, instructional and noninstructional employees at the MSA and MSB/MSD shall be contract employees and to provide for the execution of said contracts
• To exempt administrative, instructional and noninstructional employees at the MSA and MSB/MSD from state service provisions and to include such certificated employees in provisions applicable to certified teachers

This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage.
 

SB 2623 – Education Scholarship Account (ESA) program; revise. 

• To amend code sections and bring forward the “Equal Opportunity for Mississippi Students With Special Needs Act” providing Education Scholarship Account (ESA) funds for eligible students to revise certain definitions
• To establish The Office of Educational Choice within the State Department of Education to administer the ESA Program
• To clarify parental obligations to qualify eligible students for the program
• To clarify the authorized use of Education Scholarship Funds
• To prescribe certain norm-referenced tests for participating students
• To revise the limitations on eligible student participation in the program
• To clarify ESA funding amounts for participating students
• To clarify procedures for student applications for the program
• To revise limits on administrative costs
• To clarify reporting requirements by participating service providers
• To provide that program rules are subject to the requirements of the Mississippi Administrative Procedures Act
• To amend code section to establish the Office of Educational Choice within the State Department of Education to administer the ESA Program
• To amend code section to conform to the provisions of the Compulsory School Attendance Law
• To amend and to codify code sections to include Education Scholarship Account (ESA) Programs as “add-on programs” funded under the Mississippi Adequate Education Program
• To provide for the distribution from the MAEP Fund to the Special ESA Fund

This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2018.   
 

SB-2763 – Mississippi Virtual Public School Program; provider chosen by districts under Mississippi Online Course Application Process 

• To provide that the provider of services under the Mississippi Virtual Public School Program shall be chosen by the district using a list of vendors approved through the Mississippi Online Course Application Process 

This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2018.