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Under is a press launch from the Mississippi Joint Legislative PEER Committee:
The PEER Committee not too long ago launched a brand new publication titled 2022 Statutory Evaluate of Mississippi’s Training Scholarship Account Program.
A few of the Committee’s main findings and proposals embrace:
– Of the $6 million training scholarship account (ESA) program price range for FYs 2021 and 2022, the Mississippi Division of Training (MDE) disbursed $4.8 million to folks and academic service suppliers and expended $276,205 for administration. Unused funds within the quantity of $859,892 lapsed and have been returned to the State Treasury, together with $83,795 in unused administrative funds. The surplus of funds signifies enough program funding.
– As of October 2022, 127 college students have been on the ESA waitlist. Due to this fact, some may argue that program funding isn’t enough. Nonetheless, PEER contends that the present ESA price range of $3 million per 12 months may very well be higher used to handle college students on the waitlist (e.g., MDE’s strict adherence to the three-year recertification requirement for ESA members).
– Throughout FYs 2021 and 2022, members used a mean of 96% of their ESA funds on tuition bills.
– PEER famous that MDE had made a number of enhancements to the ESA program since its earlier overview (e.g., adoption and adherence to formal insurance policies concerning ESA awards). Nonetheless, MDE has not improved in sure features of program administration since 2020 (e.g., recertification of ESA members after three years of program participation, inner controls over reimbursements). Additionally, MDE has not accomplished its on-line portal for purposes and reimbursements that it anticipated to be accessible to folks starting in January 2021.
– The Legislature ought to amend MISS. CODE ANN. Part 37-181-7 (1972) to permit for MDE to fund every scholar’s ESA as much as the utmost ESA quantity for every faculty 12 months.
– As a way to enhance the ESA program’s accountability construction, by January 1, 2024, MDE, in session with PEER employees, ought to present the next info and suggestions to the Senate and Home Training committees concerning the ESA statute: whether or not the kinds of pre- and post-tests included in statute ought to be restricted to particular checks, what kind of efficiency info must be submitted by faculties on the finish of the college 12 months associated to the particular wants of the scholar, and what info faculties ought to submit concerning ESA college students’ efficiency.
Ought to you may have questions in regards to the report, please contact James F. (Ted) Sales space, PEER Govt Director, at 601-359-1226.
You possibly can learn the total report HERE.
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