Special Report
Education

Mississippi

May 03, 2005 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

As the money flows, so goes school technology in Mississippi.

For the 2004-05 school year, the legislature approved only a small increase in overall K-12 funding, which forced many of the state’s 147 school districts to make budget cuts in a number of areas, including educational technology. Since general state funding for Mississippi districts must also cover educational technology, state education officials were hoping for a better budget for the 2005-06 school year.

Legislators were debating the education budget and related bills in spring 2005, but some feared that a special session later in the year might be required.

Funding specifically for educational technology has not been provided to school districts. But $318,000 a year has been allocated by the state partly for Office of Educational Technology operating expenses and staff salaries. And that’s how much the state was planning to earmark for the 2005-06 school year. Such aid has remained stable for the last several years.

Two pieces of legislation that were pending could add to Mississippi’s fledgling online-learning opportunities. Gov. Haley Barbour, a Republican, backed a series of education proposals that would include a provision to allow the state school board to establish a single, statewide online academy for K-12 education. Under the plan, the virtual school would operate using state money at a level equal to the average per-student funding provided in each participating student’s home district. The virtual school would be an expansion of the Mississippi Online Learning Institute, the state’s current distance-learning service.

Over the past year, Mississippi also began running institutes on technology for teachers and school administrators with the help of corporate and philanthropic partners. The institutes train teachers and administrators in how to use technology to analyze and improve student achievement.

The state still provides a training academy for administrators and teachers to help them learn how to use technology more effectively.

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Reading & Literacy Webinar
The Future of the Science of Reading
Join us for a discussion on the future of the Science of Reading and how to support every student’s path to literacy.
Content provided by HMH
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
College & Workforce Readiness Webinar
From Classrooms to Careers: How Schools and Districts Can Prepare Students for a Changing Workforce
Real careers start in school. Learn how Alton High built student-centered, job-aligned pathways.
Content provided by TNTP
Student Well-Being Live Online Discussion A Seat at the Table: The Power of Emotion Regulation to Drive K-12 Academic Performance and Wellbeing
Wish you could handle emotions better? Learn practical strategies with researcher Marc Brackett and host Peter DeWitt.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Education Briefly Stated: July 16, 2025
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
5 min read
Education Follow Education Week’s K-12 Coverage on Bluesky
Education Week has joined the social media platform Bluesky.
1 min read
Illustration of Education Week and Bluesky logos.
F. Sheehan/Education Week
Education Quiz Who Qualifies to Receive the First-ever Federal School Voucher? Take the Quiz to Find Out
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read
Education Quiz Trump’s Surprise Freeze on School Funding—How Much Do You Know?
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read