OurTupelo

In 1999, 23,700 struggling Mississippi families received the welfare check — a max of $170 a month for a family of three.

Today, the number of families has dropped to under 3,000, and the amount remains $170.

In those two decades, as fewer and fewer families sought or qualified for the meager benefit, Mississippi had to find other ways to spend the $86.5 million annual block grant from the federal government called Temporary Assistance for Needy Families.

Mississippi public and nonprofit officials used the money to purchase a new volleyball stadium, a horse ranch for a famous athlete, multi-million dollar celebrity speaking engagements, high-tech virtual reality equipment, luxury vehicles, steakhouse dinners and even a speeding ticket, to name a few. They were under virtually no requirement to report this detailed spending to the federal government.

“Once you talk yourself into ignoring the laws and the regs around how to spend the money, it’s easy to talk yourself into increasingly absurd expenditures over time,” said State Auditor Shad White, whose office investigated the misspending and eventually arrested six people within a $4 million welfare fraud conspiracy nearly a year ago.

In 2019, the state spent just $5 million of the fund on cash assistance, diverted $27 million to Child Protections Services, which oversees the state’s foster care system, and spent the rest, $47 million, on other stuff, according to federal reports.

This year, a bill to increase the benefit from $170 to $260 — which closely reflects two decades of inflation — is making its way through the Legislature at the request of the new Mississippi Department of Human Services administration.

READ MORE: Senate committee approves Mississippi’s first welfare check increase since 1999.

Another measure the agency requested would ease the state’s eligibility determination process for public assistance recipients, reducing the agency manpower needed to process applications. The state has the strictest income reporting requirements in the nation, which Mississippi Department of Human Services Director Bob Anderson called an unintended consequence of the controversial Act to Restore Hope Opportunity and Prosperity for Everyone, or “HOPE Act,” lawmakers passed in 2017.

The Senate Public Health Committee advanced both pieces of legislation authored by Sen. Joey Fillingane, R-Sumrall, on Wednesday.

If the benefit increase is passed and signed, the policy change would result in a greater portion of Mississippi’s TANF dollars flowing into the pockets of poor Mississippians, instead of ancillary products or services that may or may not have a meaningful impact on the lives of people living in poverty.

From 2017-2019, two nonprofits that ran a program called Families First for Mississippi received $100 million in welfare money and reported helping 652 people receive a Career Ready Certificate, 94 write a resume and 72 complete a job application. They tracked no employment outcomes of the people they assisted. A representative from one of the nonprofits, Mississippi Community Education Center, previously told Mississippi Today its “main goal is getting them off TANF.”

The cash assistance portion of the program has dwindled, not necessarily because people are in greater economic circumstances; instead, advocates say, many families find that the meager benefit is not worth the myriad of paperwork and continuous compliance reviews. The increase, while seemingly nominal, may result in more people seeking the assistance who would have not otherwise.

“It’s not a ton of money. I mean, no one’s going to look at that and think anyone’s getting more than they deserve. But certainly, every little bit helps,” Fillingane said.

The welfare agency previously provided records to Mississippi Today that show between 2017 and 2018, nearly 75% of people denied TANF were turned away not because they failed to meet a specific eligibility requirement, but because their applications were either incomplete or withdrawn.

If the bill to simplify eligibility passes, Fillingane said he expects Mississippi’s welfare rolls to grow as more people have an easier time proving and staying qualified for the program.

Fillingane said he hasn’t encountered any opposition to his legislation.

Despite trying to ramp up its media visibility with new weekly virtual town halls, Mississippi Department of Human Services’ communication department has not returned nine calls, texts or emails from Mississippi Today for this or other articles.

The post Mississippi found ‘absurd’ ways to spend welfare on anything but the poor. These bills would put more money into families’ pockets. appeared first on Mississippi Today.

Gov. Tate Reeves on Thursday said he expects an increase in the state’s vaccine allotment starting next week and set a goal to administer 100,000 doses a week during the month of February.

After the state had received about 37,000 first doses a week the last few weeks, the governor said on Thursday he expects that weekly number to increase to 43,000 first doses starting the week of Feb. 1. He explained there was a decline in doses administered this week — about 27,000 doses have been administered this week as of Thursday — after the state “caught up” with its available supply. Reeves said he expects “another significant rise” in shots in arms next week.

The Mississippi State Department of Health reports more than 200,000 Mississippians, or about 7% of the state’s population, have received their first dose of the vaccine. The state health department on Thursday announced that individuals can now schedule their second shot immediately after receiving the first one.

“For all intents and purposes, we have caught up,” Reeves said. “We have put virtually every first dose in an arm or in an appointment that we have received.”

From Jan. 17 through Jan. 23, the state reported over 62,000 shots administered, so far the most Mississippi has seen in a week. While Reeves said he hopes to see that number reach 100,000 by next month, he added that it will depend on an increase in federal allotments. If that allotment increases from 43,000 to 50,000, ideally Mississippi will be able to see 50,000 first doses and 50,000 second doses each administered per week, he explained.

READ MORE: “Unpredictable and limited”: Mississippi’s top health official urges patience with COVID-19 vaccine distribution.

Health experts, including State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs, have continually cautioned that vaccine rollout depends completely on the allotment of vaccines the state receives from the federal government.

“It’s unpredictable and limited,” Dobbs said of the state’s vaccine supply in a Jan. 22 video interview with LouAnn Woodward, vice chancellor at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. “We have a sense that we will probably get a steady trickle of vaccine. It’s probably like .1% of the population every week right now at the current pace.

“We just found out yesterday what we’ll get for next week,” Dobbs continued. “All these clinics we have scheduled, we schedule them based on anticipated inventory. But we never know for sure.”

Reeves also announced on Thursday the retirement of Greg Michel as director of the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency, which has overseen much of the state’s COVID-19 response. Former Gov. Phil Bryant first appointed Michel to the role in 2018.

MEMA deputy director Stephen McCraney will now take over as director of the agency after serving as second-in-command since 2016.

The post Reeves says Mississippi will receive increased supply of COVID-19 vaccines in coming weeks appeared first on Mississippi Today.

Since both the House and Senate have instituted extra COVID-19 safety guidelines this week, at least one additional legislator has tested positive for the coronavirus.

Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann said there have been four positive tests in the Senate where he presides. At the end of last week before the additional protocols were put in place, the Senate reported two confirmed COVID-19 cases and one likely case.

In addition to the positive tests, Hosemann said there are an unspecified number of senators who might be quarantined from coming to the Capitol because of the close contact they had with a member who recently tested positive.

In the House, one member tested positive earlier this session. Speaker Philip Gunn, R-Clinton, said he did not know of any other positive tests among House members.

This week, as members work to take up bills in committee, both chambers have allowed members to participate via Zoom. Gunn has also insisted that at this point in the legislative session when members are only in full session for a short time each day that they participate virtually.

But starting next week when members are in full session for long periods to take up the bills that have been passed out of committee, Gunn said they will have to attend in person. He said precautions will be taken to allow members to listen out of the chamber and then come in as they need to vote.

The House leaders have interpreted the rules and laws as to allow their members to meet at this time exclusively by Zoom. On the other hand, while Senate members have been be allowed to conduct some activities via the internet, their leaders have interpreted the rules and laws as requiring them to at least check in at the Capitol.

Gunn said the House safety precautions have been effective in stifling the spread of the coronavirus while letting members get their work done.

“I think we had a few glitches the first day with the technology, but as I understand all that has been worked out,” he said.

Hosemann had advocated recessing in the session for a time to allow more people to receive the coronavirus vaccine, but Gunn has rejected that idea.

Many members, especially those over age 65, were vaccinated last week at the Capitol. Gunn said when the second round of vaccinations are completed in the coming days that should help with the issue of safety at the state Capitol.

Legislative leaders have been trying to avoid what happened in June while the Legislature was in session when 49 of the 175 members (including the lieutenant governor) tested positive, resulting in multiple hospitalizations. Staff members also tested positive at that time.

The post Despite safety protocols, another senator tests positive for COVID appeared first on Mississippi Today.

Here we go!

The post Marshall Ramsey: Chainsaw appeared first on Mississippi Today.

Legislative leaders appear to agree that Mississippi’s long-neglected state parks need help, but while the Senate is pushing for privatization and turning parks over to local governments, the House wants to find a permanent stream of public funding.

“What that tells me is that the House and Senate agree it’s an issue,” said Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann, who oversees the Senate and said fixing the Mississippi’s dilapidated state parks is a priority. “We’ll all get together on this.”

Mississippi’s state parks have suffered from years of neglected maintenance and budget cuts to the Mississippi Department of Wildlife Fisheries and Parks. The price tag to bring the state’s 25 parks (three of which are run by local governments) up to snuff is an estimated $147 million. Plus, millions more a year would be needed to keep them up — prompting discussion of privatization and a search for other options.

READ MORE: Lawmakers consider privatizing Mississippi’s dilapidated, underfunded state parks.

Senate Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks Chairman Neil Whaley, R-Potts Camp, with Hosemann’s backing has authored Senate Bill 2486 that would leave only four state parks under MDWFP management: Holmes County, Leroy Percy, LeFleur’s Bluff and Shepard. Others would be leased to private entities, turned over to counties or cities or converted to wildlife conservation areas.

Hosemann said many parks could benefit from “an infusion of knowledge and capital” from privatization.

But privatization of parks has drawn fierce debate nationwide and in Mississippi. Opponents fear private developers would “cherry pick” the best state parks that could turn profits leaving others neglected, or that privatization would turn parks into expensive resorts and limit public access.

House Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks Chairman Bill Kinkade’s committee has moved forward two measures. One, House Bill 152, would divert $3.5 million a year in state lottery money to a “deferred maintenance” plan for parks. Another, House Bill 1231, would divert about a million a year in sales taxes collected at sporting goods stores to a new “Mississippi Outdoor Stewardship Trust Fund,” with the fund capped at $20 million. Kinkade said other measures, such as bond or borrowing bills for parks, will likely be considered this year.

Kinkade said he is trying to provide dedicated sources of funding for parks maintenance and to match federal funds as many other states do. He said the Senate plan appears “short sighted.”

“All (the Senate) is giving is a partial privatization plan,” Kinkade said. “That’s not a long-term strategic plan. I don’t want to send bad smoke signals about us not looking at their proposal, but I am concerned about it being a short-sighted plan. These state parks belong to the people of this state … It’s an issue of conservation of our natural resources.”

The lottery parks bill, authored by Rep. Becky Currie, R-Brookhaven, originally called for diverting 10% of lottery proceeds to parks, but Kinkade said that is being pared down to $3.5 million.

Current law dedicates up to $80 million a year in state lottery proceeds to road and bridge funding, with any additional going to an education fund. The lottery hasn’t operated for a full fiscal year yet, but for its first eight months the state netted more than $70 million and has recently been averaging about $10 million a week.

Kinkade said he has met with House education, appropriations and transportation leaders and they’ve approved of the parks diversion of lottery money. He noted that state parks include about 85 miles of roads and bridges — a large part of the maintenance cost that would be in line with the intent of the lottery law to fund infrastructure.

Kinkade said Mississippi parks need a dedicated source of money for maintenance and improvements.

This comes as other states cash in on state park tourism, with the COVID-19 pandemic driving demand for RV-ing, camping and outdoor vacationing and recreation.

Mississippi receives about 1 million visitors to its parks each year. Arkansas state parks attract nearly 8.5 million visitors a year and serve as the state’s largest tourism draw, generating more than $1 billion a year for that state’s economy. Alabama sees nearly 5 million visitors to its parks annually, with an economic impact of about $375 million.

In Arkansas, parks are funded through a dedicated “conservation tax.” In Alabama, parks are 90% self-funded through fees and rentals. Mississippi parks lack an adequate dedicated funding source.

Kinkade said Georgia has a trust fund for parks similar to the one being proposed here.

Louie Miller, director of the Sierra Club of Mississippi, blasted the Senate parks privatization proposal as “draconian,” and a move to “dismantle our park system.”

“It’s an absolute step in the wrong direction,” Miller said. “We won’t recognize our state park system if this passes.”

Miller said the legal definition of public trust doctrine — for things such as public parks — is that they are preserved for public use and that the government owns, protects and maintains them.

Miller said the House move to find permanent funding for parks “is a step in the right direction.”

Hosemann said that, as former secretary of state, he has a record of championing public lands as he led the state’s acquisition of Cat Island off the Coast and thousands of acres statewide. He said he would oppose any privatization that restricted public access to parks or raised prices drastically. On Thursday he said that he supports the current Senate proposal to have some privatization of park operations, but that he would oppose selling any park lands to private entities.

The post Privatize Mississippi state parks or fund them? House, Senate at odds. appeared first on Mississippi Today.

Lawmakers are considering withdrawing the state from the liquor and wine business, letting private industry take over warehousing and distributing liquor — something the state has struggled to do efficiently.

The Legislature is also considering allowing home delivery of liquor, wine and beer, similar to delivery services for groceries and restaurant takeout that have become popular during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Both measures appear to have traction in the Legislature this session, even in a Bible Belt state that has been slow to relax or change its strict liquor laws.

“The time has come that we address these issues,” House Ways and Means Chairman Trey Lamar said of the move to privatize liquor distribution. “… I happen to believe that it is not a core function of government to run a liquor warehouse … If it were done today, if it were day one, we would never put government in charge of liquor. How do we unwind it? That’s where it gets a little hard.”

Mississippi is one of 17 states that tightly control the sale of liquor, and one of 10 that sell spirits to all private package stores. Seven directly own all the liquor stores in their states.

Mississippi’s warehouse and distribution, run by the Alcoholic Beverage Control division of the Department of Revenue, has for years struggled to keep up with demand and new products and its warehouse is too small and antiquated. Lawmakers have been reluctant to sink money into upgrades of the warehouse and system. Upgrading the state’s warehouse and distribution system would cost taxpayers an estimated $40 million.

House Bill 997, which passed Ways and Means and is before the full House, would allow private distributors to come in and take over distribution and warehousing of liquor and wine.

Lamar said that “on paper,” it would look like the state would lose millions in revenue from privatization, but he believes state coffers will instead see increases.

Mississippi marks up the liquor it sells to package stores and bars by 27.5%, which Lamar said brings in about $80 million. The new legislation would reduce that state markup 18% as private distributors take over.

“On paper, it would drop to about $55 million,” Lamar said. “However, we’ve received commitments from three major wholesalers that we know will enter this state. They will buy and construct large warehouses, and hire 100 to 200 employees each. Plus we’ll see smaller wholesalers. So we will have multiple investments, including 500 to 1,000 new jobs.

“Plus, the private sector will be able to properly meet demand, unlike we’ve been doing,” Lamar said. “I believe it would be sound policy to expect with the demand met, we would see more than we are collecting now. I believe a conservative estimate would be $100 million or more a year.”

Rep. Tommy Reynolds, D-Charleston, told Lamar, “This is a great bill. The only problem I see is that we should have done it 40 years ago. We’ve wasted a lot of time and money.”

Rep. Kevin Horan, R-Grenada, offered a successful amendment to the bill to provide pricing protection for package stores. It would prohibit private distributors from making sweetheart pricing deals with particular stores or chains and require them to offer uniform pricing to all stores.

Rep. Jerry Turner, R-Baldwyn, said he believes privatization is the right move, but he would like to see taxpayers’ decades long investment reimbursed by private industry.

“I think (distribution) should go through a public bid process — not just give it away,” Turner said. “Taxpayers have invested in this for many years, and they need to see a return on it.”

Senate Bill 2804 and its mirror House Bill 1135 would allow private delivery companies — such as Shipt and Instacart — to bring liquor, wine and beer to consumers 21 and older at their homes.

Both the Senate Finance committee and House Ways and Means committee passed the measures on to their full chambers.

Senate Finance Chairman Josh Harkins, author of the Senate measure, said the deliveries would be similar to grocery deliveries that have become more popular during the pandemic. He said deliveries could not be made to people in dry jurisdictions, nor could purchases be made after hours for liquor stores.

The post Lawmakers want to privatize Mississippi liquor sales, allow home delivery appeared first on Mississippi Today.

The monthly benefit for a family receiving welfare benefits through the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program would be increased from $170 per month to $260 for a family of three if legislation approved Wednesday by the Mississippi Senate Public Health Committee becomes law.

“We are in the midst of this pandemic,” Department of Human Services Executive Director Bob Anderson told the Public Health Committee Wednesday afternoon. “We think this is an opportune time to provide this assistance for our TANF families… for the poorest of the poor in our state.”

The bill that passed the Senate committee on Wednesday will next be considered by the full Senate. If it passes there, it will be to the House for consideration.

Anderson also pointed out the monthly benefits for Mississippi’s TANF recipients have not been increased since 1999 and are significantly lower than the benefits recipients are receiving in contiguous states.

The $260 per month for a family of three would be higher than the benefits for all of the surrounding states except Tennessee, which provides $277 per month. Arkansas is the lowest at $204. In Mississippi, the family would receive an additional $24 per month for each child increasing the size of the family by more than three.

The increase will not cost the state any money. TANF, a program designed to provide benefits for needy children under the age of 18, is paid for with federal funds, though the state Legislature sets the amount of the benefits.

The increase in benefits comes on the heels of the former DHS Director John Davis and others being indicted on charges related to siphoning off the TANF money designed to help “the poorest of the poor” for personal use. State Auditor Shad White alleges that millions in TANF funds were being directed to nonprofits that were supposed to provide services for the needy, but instead the funds being diverted for personal use.

READ MORE: Complete coverage of the alleged TANF embezzlement scandal.

The state receives a federal grant each year of $86.5 million for TANF. Of that amount, $30 million is diverted to Child Protections Services that oversees the state’s foster child program.

While Mississippi is the poorest state in the nation, only between 2,500-3,000 families are normally in the TANF program, Anderson said. In addition to increasing the benefits, if the Legislature agrees, he also said that the agency will be looking at the eligibility requirements for TANF.

During the committee hearing, Public Health Chair Sen. Hob Bryan, D-Amory, asked if the increase could go into effect upon passage of the bill instead of July 1. Anderson said the agency has the funds to pay immediately for the increase and voiced support for Bryan’s proposal, which was approved by the full committee.

Sen. David Parker, R-Olive Branch, asked Anderson if DHS could use some of the excess TANF funds to help with food insecurity in the state during the pandemic. Anderson said TANF funds would not be diverted to food insecurity issues, but he said other federal funds were designated for that purpose. He said his agency was requesting an increase in federal funds for food insecurity.

The post Senate committee approves Mississippi’s first welfare check increase since 1999 appeared first on Mississippi Today.

We begin with his name: Sekou. Sekou Smith. “Sekou” is of African origin, from the Fula language. It means “wise” and “educated.”

Sekou Smith, who died Tuesday at age 48 of COVID-19, was both wise and educated. He was also generous, thoughtful, loyal, always engaging, witty and thoroughly dependable. His death has left a hole in the soul of his legions of friends, this one included.

Nevertheless, when I think of him, I smile – probably because he always did, every time I saw him.

I smile thinking about how so many Mississippi ball coaches struggled with his name over the years.

This was Jackie Sherrill: “I like him. Nice kid. I like the way he writes. But how do you say his name?”

At various times, I heard it pronounced See-Que, Say-Cow, See-Cow, to name a few. If it bothered Sekou (SAY-koo), he never let on.

Sekou grew up in Grand Rapids, Mich., but his family had some Mississippi roots. His daddy wanted him to experience an HBCU education. So it was that he came to Jackson State.

At the Clarion Ledger, he was a newspaper version of a walk-on. He came in as part of the high school statistics team that flooded into the sports department on Friday nights, working for minimum wage, to take football reports on the phone. He was studying mass communications at JSU and he was like a sponge, soaking up sports and newspaper knowledge with a seemingly endless thirst.

You could tell early on Sekou was a keeper. Then-sports editor Donald Dodd hired him full-time as part of an award-winning high school coverage staff. In those days, we covered high school sports the way the morning dew covers springtime Mississippi. Sekou became a valuable reporter, who quickly earned the trust of high school coaches and administrators across the state.

Sekou could write and he had a knack for finding the most interesting part of any game and making it an easy read. He was a really good storyteller. He didn’t let the keyboard get in his way. He didn’t try to impress you with flowery prose; no, he just told the story. Readers appreciated him. So did his editors.

He graduated to the Mississippi State beat, reluctantly as I remember.

“I just love the high school beat so much,” he told me.

“You can always go back to it,” I told him.

He never did.

Covering Mississippi State, he made his mark. His news stories were incisive. His features always hit the mark. He told you what you needed to know.

“You could trust Sekou,” former Mississippi State athletic director Larry Templeton says. “He was always fair. You might not always like everything he wrote, but you always knew he would be fair. And he was just such a good person. How could anyone not like Sekou?”

Answer: You could not. And if you did, the problem was with you, not him.

His reputation quickly outgrew Mississippi. Offers began to come in from all over. He moved to Indianapolis to cover the Pacers and then to Atlanta to cover the Hawks. Pretty soon, he became one of the reputable reporters covering the NBA. He became more than a print journalist. His vibrant personality and smile made him a natural for TV. Turner Sports hired him as a TV analyst for both the network and for NBA.com.

It has been a joy to witness. The praise Sekou received nationally sounds amazingly similar to what we would hear about him here in Mississippi covering the high school and Mississippi State beats.

Google him today, and you’ll see.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver: “The NBA mourns the passing of Sekou Smith, a beloved member of the NBA family. Sekou was one of the most affable and dedicated reporters in the NBA and a terrific friend of so many across the league. Sekou’s love of basketball was clear to everyone who knew him and it always shined through in his work. Our heartfelt condolences go to his wife, Heather, and their children, Gabriel, Rielly and Cameron.”

Silver’s comments were echoed across the league by coaches, players and administrators. Stan Van Gundy, coach of the New Orleans Pelicans: “I got to know him well enough to know three things – I was lucky to spend time with him, I wanted to know him better and he was a good man.”

Sekou, quite simply, was one of best guys ever. Whether in Madison Square Garden or a rural Mississippi gym, the authentic goodness of Sekou Smith was unmistakable.

The post Sekou Smith, who died of COVID-19 at age 48, left his mark on Mississippi appeared first on Mississippi Today.

I’ve done dozens obituary cartoons over the years but I can’t remember doing one that hurt this much to draw. The late NBA analyst Sekou Smith once worked at the Clarion Ledger and when he did, he sat a few desks away from me. It was fairly early in his career but it was very obvious that he had he the chops and personality to go to the very top — which he did. You knew when Sekou entered the room — there’d be laughter (he had a great laugh and smile) and jokes. He just filled the room. What you saw on television was who he was — he was a good friend, father, husband and son.

He was just a good guy. And with this drawing, I tried to capture how he lit up a room.

I kept in touch with Sekou through the magic of Facebook. He lived in the Atlanta area, near where my family lives. Earlier last year, we had planned on having lunch the next time I was in town. I wanted my son, who loves NBA basketball and broadcasting to meet Sekou. Unfortunately, the pandemic delayed and now has permanently ended those plans. One of the last conversations we had was about another former coworker who had died young because of cancer. He was stunned.

Just as I am by his passing.

COVID-19 took a bright star from us. And I’ll admit, his passing hit me kind of hard. Yes, we haven’t worked together for a long time and I haven’t seen him except on TV in a while. But in this time when we need more people like Sekou Smith, it just hurts to lose one of the very few that we have.

My prayers go out to his family. I know they are devastated like so many families are during this Godawful pandemic. The best I can offer for us to be a little more like Sekou. Laugh. Smile. Do your job well. Love. Care. And change the world.

The post Marshall Ramsey: Sekou Smith appeared first on Mississippi Today.

Schools in Mississippi are about to see a large influx of federal dollars from a second federal coronavirus relief bill passed in December. 

The second wave of funding allocated for Mississippi is nearly three times the amount the state received last year from the education portion of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. 

In December, Congress passed the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSAA), another stimulus package totaling almost $900 billion. Of that, nearly $82 billion is set aside for the Education Stabilization Fund, the bucket of money designated for K-12 schools and colleges and universities. 

A total of $54 billion is for K-12 schools across the nation, and $23 billion goes to postsecondary institutions. Governors will receive $4.1 billion and the remainder will go to the Bureau of Indian Education. Mississippi will receive a total of $1 billion. 

This money is divided into the same categories as CARES education funds: The Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund II, the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund II, and the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Fund II. 

Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund II

These dollars go directly to the Mississippi Department of Education, which subgrants the funds to school districts. The funding amount the state received was calculated using the same formula used to determine Title I funding, which are federal dollars given to schools with a high number of low-income students enrolled.

Around $720 million is slated for Mississippi for K-12 schools, compared to around $170 million the state received from CARES in 2020. 

Up to 10% of the second round of funding, or about $72 million, can go to the Mississippi Department of Education, and the remainder must go directly to schools. 

Public schools can use the money for similar expenses as they did for CARES Act, in addition to two new allowable expenses. Those include administrative and employment costs, coordinating preparedness and response efforts with other entities, addressing the needs of disadvantaged populations, purchasing technology and providing mental health services and support.

They may also use these funds to address student learning loss as a result of the pandemic and for repairing and improving school facilities to reduce the risk of transmission of COVID-19.

A district by district breakdown of this funding is not yet available.

This money must be awarded by the state education department to districts by January 2022, and the funds must be spent by Sept. 30, 2023. 

Last year, the Mississippi Department of Education used CARES funds to launch its Mississippi Connects program, which provided a device to every public school student in the state. It also includes funding for improved connectivity for school districts, professional development for teachers and expanded access to telehealth for students.

Schools, which have until September of 2022 to spend CARES money, have used funds they received for purchasing personal protective equipment, hiring school nurses and other materials necessary during and after the pandemic. Some schools also put a portion of these funds to fulfill the matching requirement for the devices purchased under Mississippi Connects.

The Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund II

Approximately $246 million was awarded to Mississippi colleges, universities and occupational schools, compared to about $149 million awarded under CARES. As of November last year, postsecondary schools in Mississippi have spent just under 60% of their CARES dollars.

The second stimulus includes two key changes that will allow more students to qualify for money. First, the U.S. Department of Education is no longer limiting aid to Pell Grant recipients like it did with CARES. Second, online-only students, who did not qualify for CARES, are now eligible for emergency student aid.

Colleges and universities are required to spend at least the same amount on student aid as they did under CARES, which can be used for food, housing, course materials, technology, health care or child care. The remaining portion can be put towards institutional expenses from COVID-19, such as lost revenue, payroll and technology costs. 

Community colleges were also awarded more money this time due to a new funding formula that placed greater weight on an institution’s total number of students. 

Occupational schools must spend all their funds on student aid. 

A majority of these funds were made available in mid-January, and a second bucket of additional money will soon be allocated to historically Black colleges and universities. Colleges and universities have a year to spend these funds. 

The Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Fund II

This pot of money is distributed to governors, who have broad flexibility to determine how to meet the needs of students and schools, postsecondary institutions and education organizations impacted by COVID-19. The governor will receive an additional $46 million during this round of funding, and $31 million of that must go to private and independent schools.

Last year, GEER funding in Mississippi totaled about $34 million. The governor’s office is still awarding those funds.

The post Mississippi is getting $1 billion in stimulus funds for education. Here’s how it can be spent. appeared first on Mississippi Today.