MS HB1061

Creates the Mississippi Achievement School District as a statewide district to oversee all public schools receiving an "F" rating for two consecutive school years under the state accreditation system.

Establishes a nine-member school board appointed by the Governor (3 members), Lieutenant Governor (3 members), and State Superintendent (1 member), with initial staggered terms and subsequent four-year terms.

Schools designated "F" for two consecutive years must be absorbed into the Achievement District immediately or through a gradual transition completed before the next school year begins, with the 2016-2017 school year as a special transition period.

Schools may return to local district control if they achieve and maintain a "C" or higher rating for three consecutive years and voters (parents and staff) approve the return through a referendum.

Funds the Achievement District through state adequate education program payments and pro rata local ad valorem tax receipts from resident students' home districts, with Legislature appropriating startup costs for the 2016-2017 school year.