There is currently a move afoot to sue the State of Mississippi for the $1.5 billion that school districts have been shorted since 2008. While this money certainly is owed to schools, this particular lawsuit is a very bad idea. It is not possible for the state to pay such a significant amount at one time; a court ruling requiring back payment of $1.5 billion would bankrupt our state and would make it nearly impossible for legislators to fully fund schools moving into the future — which is what our children need and deserve.

But the very worst aspect of this case is the corresponding attorneys’ fees. The attorneys are asking for up to 25% of damages. Were every school district to sign on to this case, the attorneys’ fees would amount to well over $300 million — far more than enough to have fully funded the Mississippi Adequate Education Program (MAEP) for the current year.

We at The Parents’ Campaign urge school districts not to join this lawsuit.

We agree that the Legislature has failed our children. They repeatedly have made excuses and pulled every trick in the book to avoid providing adequately for our kids’ schools — even when abundant funding has been available. That is why we support a constitutional amendment that will require the Legislature to invest properly in our schools when revenue is available.

But we do not support a lawsuit that makes attorneys wealthy at the expense of our children and our state. This suit should not be filed. Instead, we should focus our efforts on the Better Schools, Better Jobs amendment to strengthen our constitution and force lawmakers to make good on their promise to provide our children a decent education and give them a shot at a bright future.

Legislators should support this effort, too. If they truly have the best interests of our children at heart, if they really support strong public schools, they will support the amendment. All legislators should sign the petition to put the amendment question on the ballot in November of 2015.

 

Nancy Loome

The Parents’ Campaign