Mississippi

‘Detrimental’ to school kids: MS education department set to lose $137M in COVID funds

Published

9 months ago

April 4, 2025

Press Room

‘Detrimental’ to school kids: MS education department set to lose 7M in COVID funds

“These are not just numbers on a spreadsheet; they represent critical services and supports that directly benefit our most vulnerable students.”

The U.S. Department of Education announced an immediate end to the liquidation of COVID-19 relief funds, impacting Mississippi’s education system.
Mississippi could lose $137 million in funding, originally intended for infrastructure improvements, learning gap programs, and mental health services.
State Superintendent Lance Evans sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Education, highlighting the detrimental effects of the funding loss and urging for the reinstatement of the original deadline.

The U.S. Department of Education announced an early liquidation of COVID-19 relief funds. Now, the Mississippi Department of Education and the state’s school districts are at risk of losing a collective $137 million.

On March 28, U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon sent out a letter informing state education departments that COVID-19 relief funds, initially approved for a March 31, 2026, liquidation deadline, will end liquidation effective immediately.

For Mississippi, the new deadline would cause detrimental effects to the state’s students and educators, according to the Mississippi Department of Education, which is now asking the U.S. Department of Education to keep the original deadline.

Plans were already underway to use the funds to bridge COVID-19-related learning gaps. The funds were also meant to support school nurses, mental health, students experiencing homelessness and facility repairs and improvements, all of which were significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The letter

Just over one page long, McMahon’s letter addressed to “State Chiefs of Education,” says after careful review, the U.S. Department of Education has decided to “modify” the liquidation time period under the Education Stabilization Fund.

The department will consider extensions on an individual project basis. Otherwise, the liquidation takes effect immediately.

The Education Stabilization Fund was implemented in March 2020 and has awarded more than $276 billion to states, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

In the past five years, Mississippi has used the Education Stabilization Fund to cover the American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funds, American Rescue Plan Homeless funds and American Rescue Plan Emergency Assistance to Non-Public Schools funds.

According to the letter, the initial COVID-19 relief funds came with stipulation that all “financial obligations incurred” must be liquidated within 120 days after the conclusion of the performance period.

Since its inception in 2020, the U.S. Department of Education has approved several extensions to this 120 day deadline.

According to McMahon’s letter, the U.S. Department of Education feels COVID-19 relief grants have already been extended too far. The previously approved March 2026 deadline was set toward the end of the Biden administration, a decision the U.S. Department of Education is now calling unjustified.

“The Department has concluded that the further extension of the liquidation period for the aforementioned grants, already well past the period of performance, was not justified,” the letter reads. “You and your subrecipients have had ample time to liquidate obligations … Extending deadlines for COVID-related grants, which are in fact taxpayer funds, years after the COVID pandemic ended is not consistent with the Department’s priorities and this not a worthwhile exercise of its discretion.”

The letter states the U.S. Department of Education has inherent power to rescind prior decisions, and since the 2026 extension date was set recently, “any reliance interests developed are minimal.”

In other words, states have no reason to have relied on the extra year’s worth of funding, which the letter calls “administrative grace.”

The letter ends with instructions on applying for an individual project extension. States must submit an email listing, “(1) how a particular project’s extension is necessary to mitigate the effects of COVID on American students’ education, and (2) why the Department should exercise its discretion to grant your request.”

The response

Many state education departments, including the Mississippi Department of Education, are now calling for the U.S. Department of Education to reinstate the March 2026 deadline.

On April 2, Mississippi State Superintendent of Education Lance Evans sent McMahon a response letter. In four pages, Evans outlines the detrimental effects the year’s loss of funding would cause, especially since the decision was announced without prior notice.

“This unexpected change creates a severe hardship for Mississippi’s students, educators, and school communities,” Evans’ letter reads. “The Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) received approval for our liquidation extension request based on demonstrated need and thorough documentation. Mississippi has been operating in good faith under the assurance that we could access these resources through March 31, 2026 for projects already obligated by the September 30, 2024, deadline.”

The letter states the Mississippi Department of Education has prior written authorization of $137,221,346 in funding, and the department is already deep into planning.

Millions of dollars have already been expensed in 66 school districts. If the new liquidation deadline holds, the U.S. Department of Education has not guaranteed to reimburse any previously approved expenses.

“The impact of this sudden reversal is detrimental to Mississippi students … These are not merely numbers on a spreadsheet; they represent critical services and supports that directly benefit our most vulnerable students,” the letter says.

Terminating the Education Stabilization Fund would effectively shut down “evidence-based learning recovery programs,” “critical infrastructure improvements,” “technology access and digital learning” and “mental health and student support services.”

The Mississippi Department of Education, according to an April 3 press release, is already working to guide districts in case the funds are not recovered. Several services and local construction projects are on pause.

“If funding is not restored, Mississippi school districts will be forced to default on payments to contractors and vendors that are currently under contract, which will result in litigation that will put additional burdens on school districts,” the letter says.

In the press release, Evans said he and his team believe the U.S. Department of Education has a legal obligation to keep the March 2026 deadline.

“Districts have contractual obligations that cannot simply be terminated without significant financial, educational, and legal consequences,” the press release states.

Funding loss

The liquidation of the Education Stabilization Fund is just the latest in a national trend of education federal funding cuts.

Scaling back the U.S. Department of Education — if not deleting it altogether — was one of President Donald J. Trump’s chief pledges on the 2024 campaign trail.

Since Trump announced McMahon’s nomination in November 2024, the former Connecticut Senate candidate and World Wrestling Entertainment Co-Founder has made it clear that she fully supports the president’s plan.

Mississippi public education has historically relied heavily on federal funding and programming. In the three months since Trump’s inauguration, public education, both K-12 and higher education, has felt a domino effect of federal funding cuts.

On Feb. 14, the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights sent a letter to public colleges and universities to dismantle Diversity, Equity and Inclusion practices or face federal funding cuts.

On March 14, public libraries lost federal funding after Trump signed an executive order called “Continuing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy.” About 70 workers in the Institute of Museum and Library Services were suspended and grants were left unprocessed.

Federal funding cuts within education match patterns in other state offices. Earlier this week, the Mississippi Humanities Council received notice from the Department of Governmental Efficiency, headed by Elon Musk, that $1.5 million from the National Endowment for the Humanities was terminated.

The Mississippi Department of Education’s response reflects the disquiet many state offices are sensing throughout the nation, a feeling, Evans acknowledged, that trickles down to the local level.

“The MDE shares the same level of anxiety that districts are experiencing as a result of the ED’s decision,” Evans said.

Got a news tip? Contact Mary Boyte at mboyte@jackson.gannett.com

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Mississippi

Jackson City Council presses Judge Wingate on JXN Water ahead of rate ruling

Published

10 hours ago

January 6, 2026

Press Room

Jackson City Council presses Judge Wingate on JXN Water ahead of rate ruling

The Jackson City Council approved a resolution Tuesday morning urging U.S. District Judge Henry Wingate to “consider” taking a series of actions related to JXN Water operations, billing practices and financial oversight.

The vote occurred one day before Wingate is set to rule on whether Jackson residents will receive a second water rate increase, something that Interim Third Party Water Manager and leader of JXN Water Ted Henifin has been pushing for nearly a year now.

While the vote carries no legal force — only Wingate can issue binding orders governing JXN Water — it formally lays out the council’s priorities and frustrations as the seemingly never-ending dispute between the city and JXN Water intensifies.

The council voted 4–1 to approve the resolution. Ward 1 Councilman Ashby Foote voted against it, while Ward 2 Councilwoman Tina Clay and Ward 3 Councilman Kenneth Stokes were not in attendance.

The resolution urges Wingate to:

Extend the court’s billing amnesty order through April 30, 2026.
Require walk-in, in-person customer service without appointments, Monday through Saturday.
- JXN Water currently handles most customer service issues through its call center.
Direct JXN Water and the city to assign staff to address billing system problems.
Order an affordability study, rather than a rate study, to guide future decisions.
Compel JXN Water to immediately remit sanitation fees owed to the city and to do so on a quarterly basis going forward.
- City officials say JXN Water is withholding roughly $14 million in sanitation fees that are typically transferred monthly to help pay the city’s long-term residential garbage collection contract with Richard’s Disposal Inc. The utility has held the funds since spring 2025.
Credit the city for bond debt and water loss charges the council says should be the responsibility of JXN Water.
Prohibit the court-appointed monitor from publicly commenting on the city’s efforts to secure alternative funding sources.
Ensure equitable billing for Byram and other non-Jackson users.
- Those areas receive water from Jackson, but any rate increase would require approval from the Mississippi Public Service Commission, which has not occurred.
Remove JXN Water employees from the city payroll.
Align JXN Water’s fiscal year with the city’s Oct. 1–Sept. 30 budget cycle.

One amendment was made to the resolution to soften its language. According to Ward 7 Councilman Kevin Parkinson, the title was changed from urging Wingate “to take certain actions” related to JXN Water instead to urging him “to consider” those actions.

Parkinson said the council made the change “out of deference to the judge.”

“We believe in the substance of the issue, but we don’t think it’s our place to tell a federal judge anything,” Parkinson said. “We ask the judge to please consider the items.”

JXN Water’s response

In a Tuesday afternoon statement to the Clarion Ledger, JXN Water Spokesperson Aisha Carson said the utility “is aware of the resolution introduced by the City of Jackson and believes it is important to provide context as the matter proceeds in court.”

“For years, the City of Jackson and members of the City Council had the opportunity to responsibly manage and invest in the water system and failed to do so. JXN Water exists because of that failure,” the statement reads. “Now, after the system is working well — delivering water and keeping raw sewage off the streets — and after the system was removed from the City’s control by the federal courts, the Council is attempting to direct the very entity tasked with fixing what they did not.

“In addition, the unfounded and erroneous claims made about JXN Water’s billing system undermine public trust and weaken collection efforts without acknowledging the conditions we inherited or the progress already made. While Council members continue to advocate on behalf of their constituents, JXN Water must apply its policies consistently to sustain the system for all customers. The full record and legal arguments will be addressed in court.”

The looming decision on water rates

It’s unclear whether Wingate will take up any of the council’s requests or keep the hearing focused on the proposed water rate increase. But anyone who has spent time in Wingate’s courtroom knows the discussion can veer wherever the judge sees fit. As Henifin put it last week, “there is no predicting what will come up during the hearing.”

The proposed water rate increase would raise the average residential water bill from about $76 to $85 per month — roughly a 12% increase — to help cover operating costs and debt service. Henifin has argued the increase is necessary to stabilize the system financially.

Henifin wanted the increase rate to take affect in Dec. 15, 2025, but Wingate temporarily blocked the rate increase in November.

In a Dec. 22 filing, City Attorney Drew Martin argued that a second increase would unfairly burden paying customers, noting that tens of millions of dollars remain uncollected each year.

“The City simply asks that the Court order JXN Water to do what the City must do and what every citizen and ratepayer must do: live within its means,” Martin wrote.

Along with the council, Jackson Mayor John Horhn is opposed to the rate hike. He previously told the Clarion Ledger that JXN Water should first improve collections and cut costs. Roughly 20-30% of customers remain delinquent, according to city estimates.

Horhn could not be reached for further comment regarding the council’s resolution. Jackson spokesperson Nic Lott did not respond to a request for comment.

The council’s action also follows last week’s vote to temporarily cover more than $2 million in trash-collection bills from the city’s general fund after JXN Water withheld sanitation fees residents already paid on their water bills. Henifin has said the utility is withholding the money because the city owes millions in unpaid water bills, largely tied to leaks at the Jackson Zoo.

Wingate previously pressed Henifin on his legal authority to withhold those funds. Henifin acknowledged he had none but said the money would be released once the city settles its debt.

Why Foote voted no

Foote was the lone vote against the resolution. While he has voiced some criticism of JXN Water in the past, Foote has generally declined to support council resolutions aimed at the federally managed utility.

In October, when the council approved another resolution stating that Jackson’s water and sewer systems should be returned to the city and out of JXN Water’s hands, Foote was also the lone vote against.

He explained his reasoning after the meeting.

“I thought the City was better off not making a big news headline with a Resolution confronting a Federal Judge about the operations of JXN Water during the opening week of the Legislative Session, when our focus needs to be the many issues the City has with things we control such as crime, blight, squatters and the ongoing exodus of citizens out of Jackson,” Foote said.

He used one of his familiar lines that “the main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.”

“Squabbling publicly with JXN Water distracts from the Mayor’s narrative of Jackson Rising,” Foote said.

Charlie Drape is the Jackson beat reporter. Contact him at cdrape@gannett.com.

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Mississippi

These restaurants, schools, in, near, Jackson fail December health inspections

Published

22 hours ago

January 6, 2026

Press Room

These restaurants, schools, in, near, Jackson fail December health inspections

Four food service facilities in the Jackson area received failing health inspection grades in December 2025.
Common violations cited were inadequate hand-washing facilities and unclean food-contact surfaces.
As of early January, three of the four locations had corrected their violations and passed follow-up inspections.

In the Jackson area, four restaurants and food service facilities received failing health inspection grades in December 2025, according to the Mississippi State Department of Health.

As of Jan. 5, three of the four facilities have conducted follow-up inspections and rectified the failing grade.

Below are the restaurants and food-service facilities in District V, which includes Hinds, Madison and Rankin counties, that received a failing grade of “C.”

Hinds County

Powell Middle School, temporarily housed in the former Brinkley Middle School located at 3535 Albemarle Road in Jackson, received a failing grade during a scheduled inspection on Dec. 10. In 2023, Brinkley Middle School was consolidated into Lanier High School. Powell Middle School then moved into the former Brinkley building while the school is being renovated. The inspection notes a lack of a certified manager and inadequate hand-washing facilities. The grade was rectified in a follow-up inspection on Dec. 17. Brinkley Middle School previously received one other failing grade in 2021, which was rectified in a follow-up inspection.
Oak Forest Elementary School, located at 1831 Smallwood St. in Jackson, received a failing grade during a scheduled inspection on Dec. 8. The inspection notes inadequate hand-washing facilities and improperly washed hands. As of Jan. 5, Oak Forest Elementary has not conducted a follow-up inspection. The school previously received one other failing grade in 2024, which was rectified during a follow-up inspection.

Madison County

Penn’s Fish House, located at 1859 Main St. in Madison, received a failing grade during an inspection following a complaint on Nov. 18. The restaurant then failed the corrective follow-up on Dec. 1. Penn’s rectified the grade during a second follow-up inspection on Dec. 15. The Nov. 18 inspection notes several violations, including a lack of a certified manager and inadequate hand-washing facilities. The notes also cite violations in food storage and preparation, including unclean food-contact surfaces and improper holding temperatures. By Dec. 1, the restaurant had corrected most of the violations, but still had unclean food contact surfaces, according to the inspection notes. This Penn’s location previously received two failing grades in 2013 and 2021, both of which were rectified during follow-up inspections.

Rankin County

Golden Corral, located at 988 Top St. in Flowood, received a failing grade during an inspection following a complaint on Dec. 12. The inspection notes several violations, including inadequate hand-washing facilities, unclean food contact surfaces and improper food-holding temperatures, date marking and disposition. The restaurant rectified the grade during a follow-up inspection on Dec. 17. In November 2025, this Golden Corral location received a failing grade for several of the same violations listed in the Dec. 12 inspection. The restaurant rectified the November failing grade during a follow-up inspection on Nov. 14. This Golden Corral location previously received a failing grade in 2023, which was then corrected in a follow-up inspection.

Health inspection grading system

The MSDH grades health inspections on an A, B and C scale, with C considered a failing grade.

The MSDH website states the following regarding the grading scale:

A rating: “The facility inspection found no critical violations. Critical violations of the state Food Code are those more likely to lead to food contamination, illness, or other health risk.”
B rating: “Critical violations were found, but corrected under the supervision of the inspecting environmentalist. No further corrective actions are required.”
C rating: “Critical violations were found, but some or all were not corrected during the inspection. The facility will be re-inspected, and all violations must be corrected in a time period not to exceed 10 days. The re-inspection date is posted on the graded report. If violations are not corrected in the specified time, steps are taken to suspend the facility’s permit to operate. A grade of C is also given if critical violations are repeated from the last inspection, even if they were corrected at that time.”

Got a news tip? Contact Mary Boyte at mboyte@jackson.gannett.com

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Mississippi

Mississippi lawmakers to tackle school choice, PERS reform as session begins

Published

1 day ago

January 5, 2026

Press Room

BILOXI, Miss. (WLOX) – Mississippi lawmakers will address school choice legislation, PERS reform, and Gulf Coast Restoration Fund distribution when the legislative session begins Tuesday, according to political analyst Frank Corder with the Magnolia Tribune.

School choice

Corder said school choice will likely be the first major issue addressed, with House Speaker Jason White making it one of his main agenda items this session.

School choice policies would let families use public funds to enroll their children in schools outside their assigned local option, including private schools.

“It wouldn’t surprise me if the first week or two, we don’t see a bill dropped and by the end of January, there’s some kind of action on that bill,” said Corder.

The Senate will likely take a more measured approach to school choice legislation, Corder said. Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann has said he supports opening up public-to-public transfers but not necessarily allowing money to follow students from public to private schools.

ALSO READ: Lt. Gov. targets chronic absenteeism, supports limited school choice options

Corder expects Mississippi will pass some form of public-to-public transfer system that allows parents to choose schools outside their assigned district, though he is uncertain whether universal school choice will advance this session.

Gulf Coast Restoration Fund

This session, lawmakers will look at how Gulf Coast Restoration Funds are distributed, Corder said. The fund operates as an advisory body that makes recommendations to the Mississippi Development Authority, which then sends proposals to lawmakers for funding decisions.

Corder said Coast lawmakers have typically been unified in their requests, but when they are not, funding has lagged.

“I do expect them to maybe revamp how things are done this time. If it doesn’t happen, I’ll be surprised,” he said.

ALSO READ: 16 projects recommended for Gulf Coast Restoration Funds

Corder believes focus will shift toward larger, coastwide projects spanning from Jackson County to Hancock County, including infrastructure improvements and coastal restoration projects.

PERS reform

The Public Employees’ Retirement System (PERS) will also likely receive attention this session.

Corder said lawmakers could consider changes to Tier 5 that would reduce the 35-year work requirement for law enforcement officers and firefighters before retirement.

In March 2025, the state legislature passed House Bill 1, which changed PERS to require 35 years of service for full retirement benefits, regardless of age, starting March 1, 2026.

ALSO READ: Mississippi first responders unite to propose separate state retirement tier

Corder believes lawmakers will also consider injecting resources into PERS to improve its financial stability.

Vote 2026

Corder also weighed in on the midterm elections happening this year. Last week, candidates filed paperwork to qualify.

Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith will face a Republican primary challenge from Sarah Adlakha of the Gulf Coast. Corder said Hyde-Smith has advantages as the incumbent with an established “campaign war chest,” while Adlakha appears to be self-financing her campaign.

ALSO READ: MS candidates file for federal election qualification

In the 4th Congressional District, Rep. Mike Ezell faces challenges from Republican Sawyer Walters. On the Democratic side, State Rep. Jeffery Hulum and two others are running along with one Independent.

“That could be an interesting race to watch,” said Corder.

Rep. Bennie Thompson also has a Democratic challenger, Evan Turnage, who previously served as chief counsel for Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.

Congressional primaries are scheduled for Tuesday, March 10.

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