Mississippi

Mississippi House votes to change school funding formula, but plan faces hurdles in the Senate

Published

2 years ago

March 6, 2024

Mississippi House votes to change school funding formula, but plan faces hurdles in the Senate

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The Mississippi House voted Wednesday to set a new formula to calculate how much money the state will spend on public schools — a step toward abandoning a formula that has put generations of legislators under political pressure because they have fully funded it only two years since it was put into law in 1997.

The proposal is in House Bill 1453, which passed with broad bipartisan support on a vote of 95-13.

Work is far from finished. The bill will move to the Senate, which is also controlled by Republicans and has a separate proposal to revise but not abandon the current formula, known as the Mississippi Adequate Education Program.

MAEP is designed to give school districts enough money to meet midlevel academic standards. Senators tried to revise it last year, but that effort fell short.

The formula proposed by the House is called INSPIRE — Investing in the Needs of Students to Prioritize, Impact and Reform Education. Republican Rep. Kent McCarty of Hattiesburg said it would create a more equitable way of paying for schools because districts would receive extra money if they have large concentrations of poverty or if they enroll large numbers of students who have special needs or are learning English as a second language.

“This puts money in the pockets of the districts that need it the most,” McCarty, vice chairman of the House Education Committee, said Wednesday.

Republican Rep. Rob Roberson of Starkville, the committee chairman, said INSPIRE would put more money into public schools than has ever been spent in Mississippi, one of the poorest states in the U.S.

“It bothers me that we have children out there that do not get a good education in this state,” Roberson said. “It should make you mad, too.”

Full funding of MAEP would cost nearly $3 billion for the budget year that begins July 1, according to the state Department of Education. That would be about $643 million more than the state is spending on the formula during the current year, an increase of about 17.8%.

Democratic Rep. Bob Evans of Monticello asked how full funding of INSPIRE would compare to full funding of MAEP.

McCarty — noting that he was only 3 years old when MAEP was put into law — said legislators are not discussing fully funding the formula this session. He said INSPIRE proposes putting $2.975 billion into schools for the coming year, and that would be “more money than the Senate is proposing, more money than we’ve ever even thought about proposing on this side of the building.”

McCarty also said, though, that decisions about fully funding INSPIRE would be made year by year, just as they are with MAEP.

Affluent school districts, including Madison County and Rankin County in the Jackson suburbs, would see decreases in state funding under INSPIRE, McCarty said.

Nancy Loome is director of the Parents’ Campaign, a group that has long pushed legislators to fully fund MAEP. She cautioned in a statement that the House proposal would eliminate “an objective formula for the base per-student cost, which is supposed to reflect the true cost of educating a Mississippi student to proficiency in core subjects.”

“Any total rewrite of our school funding formula needs careful, deliberate thought with input from those most affected by it: public school educators and parents of children in public schools,” Loome said.

Under the House proposal, a 13-member group made up mostly of educators would recommend revisions at least once every four years in the per-student cost that would be the base of the INSPIRE formula. The cost would be adjusted for inflation each year.

Twenty-one school districts sued the state in August 2014, seeking more than $235 million to make up for shortfalls from 2010 to 2015 — some of the years when lawmakers didn’t fully fund MAEP. The Mississippi Supreme Court ruled in 2017 that legislators are not obligated to spend all the money required by the formula.

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Mississippi

East Mississippi running back Gavin Griffin selected to 2025 NJCAA All-America First Team – Meridian Star

Published

1 hour ago

December 23, 2025

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East Mississippi running back Gavin Griffin selected to 2025 NJCAA All-America First Team

Published 12:08 pm Tuesday, December 23, 2025

East Mississippi Community College running back Gavin Griffin has added to his list of 2025 season accomplishments by being named to this year’s NJCAA Division I Football All-America First Team. The National Junior College Athletic Association announced the organization’s first-team, second-team and honorable-mention football selections on Dec. 20.

As an NJCAA All-Region 23 honoree as well as being the MACCC North Division’s Offensive Player of the Year recipient this season, Griffin’s most recent honor gives East Mississippi’s football program a total of 36 NJCAA All-America selections during the past 18 seasons under the guidance of NJCAA Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame head coach Buddy Stephens. Dating back to the 2008 season, the EMCC Lions have had at least one NJCAA All-American in football during 13 of the past 18 years.

In becoming EMCC’s 15th first-team NJCAA All-American dating back to 2008, Griffin helped lead the Lions to a 7-3 overall record and 5-1 MACCC North Division mark while earning the program’s 12th division crown and 15th conference playoff appearance during the Stephens coaching era.

A Troy University signee, Griffin was twice selected as the NJCAA and MACCC Offensive Player of the Week this season while topping the NJCAA Division I statistical leaders with 22 rushing touchdowns and ranking second nationally with 1,168 rushing yards. With six 100-yard rushing outings on the year, Griffin’s top performances on the ground included a career-high 220 rushing yards and four touchdowns in 22 attempts during EMCC’s 49-27 home win over Pearl River. He also had 189 rushing yards and three scores in 23 carries during the Lions’ 34-28 road victory at Northwest Mississippi.

With at least one rushing touchdown in all 10 games this past season, Griffin had seven contests with multiple scoring runs, including an additional four-touchdown effort in EMCC’s 50-39 home win over Holmes. During the Stephens coaching era at EMCC, Griffin’s 134 total points scored and 22 touchdown runs this season rank second behind Tyrell Price’s NJCAA-leading 24 rushing touchdowns and 150 points scored during the Lions’ 2017 national championship season.

On EMCC’s single-season statistical leaders list during the Stephens era, Griffin’s 1,168 rushing yards in 10 games played rank third behind 2025 EMCC Sports Hall of Fame inductee Rod Moore (1,303 in 2011) and Lakenderic Thomas (1,334 in 2013), who both had the advantage of playing two additional games during EMCC’s respective national championship seasons. Griffin’s 207 rushing attempts this season are the most by an EMCC player during the Stephens era, breaking the mark of 200 carries previously held by second-team NJCAA All-American Deon McIntosh during the Lions’ 2018 national championship season.

For his two EMCC seasons, Griffin’s 1,722 career rushing yards rank third behind Thomas (1,724) and Moore (2,211), while his 30 career rushing touchdowns tie Price for the most during the Stephens era. Along with the 66 points that Griffin scored (8 rush TDs and 3 TD catches) as an EMCC freshman in 2024, the 2023 MHSAA Class 1A Mr. Football out of Velma Jackson High School became just the second EMCC player of the Stephens era to reach 200 career points scored.

EMCC’s 35 NJCAA All-America players under Stephens’ leadership are divided among 18 offensive performers, 15 defensive honorees and two special teams players. Leading the way positionally for EMCC dating back to 2008, the Lions have had 10 All-America quarterback selections, including NJCAA Offensive Player of the Year recipients Ty Keyes (2023) and Bo Wallace (2011) as well as two-time All-America signal-caller Randall Mackey (2008 & 2009). On the defensive side of the football during the Stephens coaching era, the Lions have featured eight All-America defensive linemen, headlined by 12-year NFL veteran Denico Autry (2011) of the Houston Texans and recently retired 11-year NFL standout Za’Darius Smith (2012).

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Mississippi Lottery Mississippi Match 5, Cash 3 results for Dec. 22, 2025

Published

13 hours ago

December 23, 2025

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Mississippi Lottery Mississippi Match 5, Cash 3 results for Dec. 22, 2025

The Mississippi Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Dec. 22, 2025, results for each game:

Winning Mississippi Match 5 numbers from Dec. 22 drawing

20-21-22-24-25

Check Mississippi Match 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash 3 numbers from Dec. 22 drawing

Midday: 1-8-7, FB: 3

Evening: 9-1-4, FB: 1

Check Cash 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash 4 numbers from Dec. 22 drawing

Midday: 0-6-1-7, FB: 3

Evening: 1-2-4-0, FB: 1

Check Cash 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash Pop numbers from Dec. 22 drawing

Midday: 13

Evening: 11

Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Story continues below gallery.

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

Winnings of $599 or less can be claimed at any authorized Mississippi Lottery retailer.

Prizes between $600 and $99,999, may be claimed at the Mississippi Lottery Headquarters or by mail. Mississippi Lottery Winner Claim form, proper identification (ID) and the original ticket must be provided for all claims of $600 or more. If mailing, send required documentation to:

Mississippi Lottery Corporation

P.O. Box 321462

Flowood, MS

39232

If your prize is $100,000 or more, the claim must be made in person at the Mississippi Lottery headquarters. Please bring identification, such as a government-issued photo ID and a Social Security card to verify your identity. Winners of large prizes may also have the option of setting up electronic funds transfer (EFT) for direct deposits into a bank account.

Mississippi Lottery Headquarters

1080 River Oaks Drive, Bldg. B-100

Flowood, MS

39232

Mississippi Lottery prizes must be claimed within 180 days of the drawing date. For detailed instructions and necessary forms, please visit the Mississippi Lottery claim page.

When are the Mississippi Lottery drawings held?

Cash 3: Daily at 2:30 p.m. (Midday) and 9:30 p.m. (Evening).
Cash 4: Daily at 2:30 p.m. (Midday) and 9:30 p.m. (Evening).
Match 5: Daily at 9:30 p.m. CT.
Cash Pop: Daily at 2:30 p.m. (Midday) and 9:30 p.m. (Evening).

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Mississippi editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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No snow in a Mississippi Christmas – Meridian Star

Published

1 day ago

December 22, 2025

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No snow in a Mississippi Christmas

Published 11:11 am Monday, December 22, 2025

From the looks of the weather forecast, it appears I am going to be disappointed again this year: no White Christmas, no one-horse open sleigh ride, and no chestnuts roasting on an open fire.

Our songs and traditions this time of year sure paint a pretty picture! Unfortunately, almost every Christmas season I’ve ever experienced in Mississippi has found me wearing shorts on Christmas Day. I think the forecast calls for a high of 74 degrees on Christmas Eve, 73 on Christmas Day, and 75 the day after.

Even though the weather disappoints me, I love my Christmas traditions. As silly as it sounds for a grown man, I love Christmas socks and wear them throughout the year. I grew up with a mom who made fresh eggnog. I haven’t had any homemade in years, but I purchase some every season.

In true Clark Griswold fashion, no Christmas would be complete without proper outdoor Christmas illumination. To make it even funnier, you can’t see my lights unless you come up our very rural driveway. Yes, the lights are just for me.

Speaking of Clark and company, my sweet indulgent wife always watches Christmas Vacation at least once each season with me. And then there are my other favorite Christmas shows and movies: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Charlie Brown’s Christmas, the Grinch, and Home Alone. (Also, I vote that Die Hard is a Christmas movie.)

And because my wife indulges me, I’ve been known to indulge her by sleeping through, er, I mean watching a Hallmark Christmas movie or two. She’s just blessed like that. What a guy I am!

But moving on from praising myself, when my oldest son got married, his wife brought us a new Christmas tradition: the Christmas Pickle ornament. You hide it on the tree, and whoever finds it gets to open the first present. I’m not sure that one has much of a future. Nevertheless, I unabashedly love Christmas.

Here’s my Christmas rule: “If you quit believing in Santa Claus, you get clothes for Christmas.” Not this guy. I’m all in it for the toys. (You may be familiar with the adage that the only difference between a man and a boy is the price of his toys—I resemble that remark.)

And in case you are wondering what to get me, my sizes are .45, 9mm, .233, .22, .380, and 12 gauge. Smile! It’s all in good fun.

In the immortal words of Clark Griswold, “Where do you think you’re going? Nobody’s leaving. Nobody’s walking out on this fun, old-fashioned family Christmas. No, no. We’re all in this together.”

And we are. May your blessings be great, and your opportunities and abilities to bless others be even greater.

Merry Christmas!

“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to people he favors!”

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