Dive Brief:
- Mississippi’s Initiative 42 would have amended the state’s constitution to guarantee school funding, but despite failing on Tuesday's ballot, it may still end up in court.
- The initiative called for the state to channel an additional $200 million in funding to public education during the 2016 fiscal year.
- School finance experts tell the Hechinger Report that regardless of how voters cast their ballots, legal challenges are practically guaranteed to follow.
Dive Insight:
Lawsuits and the appeal process will reportedly have an immediate adverse effect on schools, tying up funding in a state where poor schools already consistently “lag behind.”
“If 42 fails, Rep. Greg Snowden expects supporters to challenge the election in court,” the Hechinger article states. “If the initiative passes, Snowden expects challenges to how the additional school funds are distributed.”
Michael A. Rebell, executive director of the Campaign for Educational Equity, told Hechinger that 46 separate suits have already been filed in other states both challenging and in support of newly-passed educational funding revamps. Just three states have managed to avoid lawsuits.
Ahead of the vote, the initiative’s advocates reportedly collected 200,000 petition signatures, “twice the amount needed to bring the measure for a vote,” according to PBS. Many, however, have been confused about the initiative, generating media explainers and campaigns aimed at informing voters. The actual process of voting also confused many, with ballot choices said to have been poorly worded.
Mississippi is the poorest state in the U.S. and currently does not guarantee fully-funded public schools.
