Mississippi
Pols pitch extra $1B for NYC schools — even as Mississippi, Alabama students outperform New Yorkers for a fraction of the cost
State lawmakers want to give New York City public schools about $1 billion more a year — even though students in states like Mississippi and Alabama have been notching dramatically better test results, while spending a fraction per pupil.
Proposals from State Sen. John Liu and Assembly Member Jo Anne Simon would restructure the formula by which the state feeds funds to the city Department of Education, boosting its $35.1 billion annual budget by $819 million, according to the city’s Independent Budget Office.
But more money doesn’t necessarily mean better results.
Three southern states, Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama, have historically had some of the country’s worst K-12 public schools, but have proven to be rising stars in recent years — despite spending less than half per student than New York, as was highlighted in a recent New York Times op-ed.
Mississippi spends about $12,500 per pupil each year, while New York spends more than twice that, about $32,000, according to Edunomics Lab, a Georgetown University research center. New York City spends more than the statewide average, around $42,200, per student each year.
Louisiana spends about $17,500 annually per pupil, and Alabama spends about $13,200 — both a far cry from what both the Empire State and the Big Apple are shelling out, researchers found.
But New York students have seen their scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress — often called “The Nation’s Report Card” — drop by about 10 points since 2013.
Meanwhile, test scores in parts of Mississippi rose by 10 points over that same time frame, NAEP data shows.
Louisiana saw its 4th-grade reading scores climb by 5 points since 2013.
And while Alabama saw NAEP scores decline during that time, an adjusted analysis of national results from the Urban Institute that factors in demographics like poverty placed the state as the No. 1 scoring school system in the entire country.
New York, by contrast, landed at No. 32, and Massachusetts — typically ranked among the nation’s best public schools — came in at 21.
“It’s not about the amount of money,” said Manhattan Institute education expert Danyela Souza.
“If it was just about the money, our schools would be number one academically,” she told The Post.
Former deputy schools chancellor Eric Nadelstern agreed, saying the city’s public school system — the largest in the country — now has no “accountability.”
The institutions were given their own A through F gradings based on their performances under Mayor Mike Bloomberg’s watch — and some were closed because of poor performance.
But the accountability rating system was scrapped under his successor, Mayor Bill de Blasio, and never reinstated.
“How can you spend billions of dollars on education if you’re not holding educators accountable for the results — the teachers, the principals, the superintendents,” Nadelstern said.
“We don’t have a right to ask for more money until we hold people responsible for children’s education accountable for achievement,” he said. “We don’t do that now and haven’t for some time.”
Mississippi
Thompson defeats Turnage to highlight U.S. House primaries in Mississippi – SuperTalk Mississippi
Political newcomer and Capitol Hill attorney Evan Turnage proved no match for longtime U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson, who defeated him and one other challenger to earn the Democratic nomination for Mississippi’s 2nd Congressional District on Tuesday.
Some politicos thought Turnage – who went to Yale and later worked for some of Thompson’s Democratic colleagues, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) – wouldn’t necessarily win but could make waves as one of the more viable candidates to challenge Thompson in recent years. However, that wasn’t the case as Thompson garnered approximately 85% of the vote when the race was called.
Thompson, 78, is seeking an 18th term. The civil rights leader who chaired the Jan. 6 Committee was first elected in 1993 and serves as a ranking member on the House Homeland Security Committee. He will face either Ron Eller or Kevin Wilson on the Republican side, a race yet to be called as of late Tuesday night, and independent Bennie Foster in November’s general.
All of Mississippi’s U.S. House seats are up for grabs this year.
In the 1st Congressional District, Republican Rep. Trent Kelly ran unopposed, while civil rights attorney and University of Mississippi School of Law professor Cliff Johnson beat former state lawmaker Kelvin Buck in the Democratic primary. Libertarian challenger Johnny Baucom awaits Kelly and Johnson in the general.
In the 3rd Congressional District, both Republican Rep. Michael Guest and Democrat Michael Chiaradio ran unopposed. They will meet Libertarian Erik Kiehle in the general.
In the 4th Congressional District, Republican Rep. Mike Ezell had over 80% of the vote when his race was called against former Mississippi Department of Marine Resources officer and political staffer Sawyer Walters. State Rep. Jeffrey Hulum easily won the Democratic nomination over Paul Blackman and D. Ryan Grover. Ezell and Hulum will face independent Carl Boyanton in the general.
Arguably the most watched races of the night occurred in the state’s lone U.S. Senate seat in this year’s cycle. Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith had no problem with Ocean Springs doctor Sarah Adlakha, seeing her name bolded around 30 minutes after the polls closed. It wasn’t long after that when Lowndes County District Attorney Scott Colom was announced the winner of the Democratic primary over Priscilla Till and Albert Littell. Independent Ty Pinkins will meet Hyde-Smith and Colom in the general on Nov. 3.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Mississippi
Mississippi First Congressional District Primary 2026: Live Election Results, Buck vs. Johnson
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Staff
Sunday, March 15, 2026
1. (tie) “The Irish Goodbye,” Beth Ann Fennelly, Norton; and “Vigil,” George Saunders, Random House
2. “Theo of Golden,” Allen Levi, Atria Books
3. “The Widow,” John Grisham, Doubleday
4. “The Correspondent,” Virginia Evans, Random House
5. “When It’s Darkness on the Delta,” W. Ralph Eubanks, Beacon Press
6. “Eradication,” Jonathan Miles, Doubleday
7. “Neptune’s Fortune,” Julian Sancton, Random House
8. “The Dean,” Sparky Reardon, The Nautilus Publishing Company
9. “Kin,” Tayari Jones, Random House
10. “Brawler,” Lauren Groff, Riverhead
Children and young adults
1. “The Bear and the Hair and the Fair,” Em Lynas, Little Brown
2. “The Hybrid Prince,” Tui T. Sutherland, Scholastic Press
3. “One Mississippi,” Steve Azar,Sarah Frances Hardy (Illustrator), The Nautilus Publishing
4. “If You Make a Call on a Banana Phone,” Gideon Sterer, HarperCollins
5. (tie) “Fancy Nancy: Besties for Eternity,” Jane O’Connor and Robin Preiss Glasser (Illustrator), HarperCollins; and “The Dark is For,” Jane Kohuth, Simon and Schuster
Adult events (Sunday, March 15–Saturday, March 21)
Amy McDowell in conversation with Jodi Skipper for “Whispers in the Pews,” 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Off Square Books, 129 Courthouse Square, Oxford, 662-236-2262
Tayari Jones on Thacker Mountain Radio Hour for “Kin,” 6 p.m. Thursday, Off Square Books, 129 Courthouse Square, Oxford, 662-236-2262
Children’s events (Sunday, March 15–Saturday, March 21)
No Cap Book Club (kids 10-13) will be reading “A Kid’s Book About…,” 6:00 p.m. Tuesday, Square Books Jr., 111 Courthouse Square, Oxford, 662-236-2207
Storytime, “Clifford: Dream Big,” 10:00 a.m. Wednesday, Square Books Jr., 111 Courthouse Square, Oxford, 662-236-2207
Chapter Captains Book Club (kids 6-9) will be reading “Princess in Black: Bathtime Battle,” 6:00 p.m. Thursday, Square Books Jr., 111 Courthouse Square, Oxford, 662-236-2207
Storytime, “What a Small Cat Needs,” 10:00 a.m. Saturday, Square Books Jr., 111 Courthouse Square, Oxford, 662-236-2207
Story Time, “Very Hungry Caterpillar” Day! 10 a.m. Saturday, Lemuria Books, 202 Banner Hall, 4465 I-55 North, Jackson, 601-366-7619
— Sales and/or Events Reported by Lemuria Books (Jackson); Lorelei Books (Vicksburg); Square Books (Oxford).
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