House Bill 42 Summary

• Appropriates $2,927,510,914.00 in general funds and $2,289,452,879.00 in special funds to the State Board of Education for K-12 education, vocational/technical education, and the Mississippi Student Funding Formula for fiscal year 2026.

• Sets the Student Base Amount for the Mississippi Student Funding Formula at $6,847.33 per student for fiscal year 2026.

• Authorizes specific allocations including at least $24,080,000.00 for National Board Certification, $17,558,000.00 for the Educable Child Program, and $5,000,000.00 for the Education Scholarship Account (ESA) Program.

• Provides $29,000,000.00 for early childhood education initiatives with minimum funding of $2,500.00 per student in full-day programs and $1,250.00 per student in half-day programs.

• Establishes performance targets for special education teacher staffing (6,500 FTE), 3rd grade reading proficiency (90%), high school graduation readiness (100%), and school performance ratings (90% rated "C" or higher).