Actual School Funding in Mississippi Still Below Pre-recession Levels

December 10th, 2015

Despite a rise in nominal dollars after the deep cuts of the recent recession, the real value of state school funding has declined in recent years and local dollars have not been able to make up the slack.

A new report released today from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities shows trends in school funding among states. The report shows that in real dollars (adjusted for inflation) Mississippi’s state funding per pupil declined 15.4% from 2008 to 2014. Only four other states had a larger decline in state funding per pupil.

State funds make up just over half of all school funding in Mississippi. The rest largely comes from local property taxes and federal grants. Local government funds have increased in some districts to compensate, but not enough to make up for all of the cuts. State and local funds combined are still down 8% since 2008. The ability of local districts to make up for state cuts largely depends on their area property values.

Areas with more poverty are less able to make up for state cuts. Federal grants that are targeted to high-poverty districts can help but have also been subject to cuts at the federal level. Federal Title I funds for high-poverty districts have declined 11% nationally over the last five years.

Adequate school funding is especially important in high-poverty districts and makes a difference for graduation rates and earnings after graduation for children in poverty. Declines in funding threaten education reforms like shrinking class sizes, increased instruction time, and improving teacher quality.

Mississippi is not alone in its need to restore school funding, but with the highest number of children living in poverty, we do have a lot at stake. From the report: “These trends are very concerning to the country’s future prospects. The health of the nation’s economy and our quality of life will depend crucially on the creativity and intellectual capacity of our people. If we neglect our schools, we diminish our future.”