Jackson Free Press

Unhappy that the Mississippi House of Representatives turned back his move for more budget power, Gov. Haley Barbour today promised to slash most of the state budgets more than 8 percent. The House refused to follow the Senate's lead and grant him power to discriminately cut 10 percent of the budget.

I asked the legislative budget committee to change state law under which I am required to make budget cuts, to give me more flexibility. … I appreciate that the Senate passed a law to give me more flexibility to cut up to 10 percent. That would have allowed some relief. The House chose not to do that and proposed spending $110 million more after we've spent $115 million," Barbour told reporters. "To comply with state law I am now ordering cuts that will bring the total cuts (this year) up to 8.193 percent for all departments and agencies, except for a small handful that are exempt."

Barbour said the 8.193 percent equals to a cut of $437.5 million in general funds and general fund equivalents, including education enhancement funds, budget contingency funds and special funds. Most of the agencies have already been cut 5 percent, so the new cuts reflect an additional 3.193 percent slice.

The governor explained that the Mississippi Adequate Education Program, a program to steer state money to low-revenue school districts, will suffer an additional cut of $66.1 million on top of a previous cut of $103.5 million, amounting to a total cut of 169.6 million.

The state's higher-education budget for universities will suffer a total cut of $63.9 million after adding previous cuts, while community colleges will see an additional $8 million in cuts, amounting to a total cut of $20.5 million.

Barbour currently has the power to cut up to 5 percent of an agency's budget, and any cut above 5 percent must be applied equally to every agency. Barbour wanted the power to spare the Department of Corrections cuts greater than five percent.House members argued that handing out budget cuts between agencies is the power of the Legislature, not one governor, and refused the grant Barbour the additional authority.

Parent's Campaign Executive Director Nancy Loome said MAEP fared better under these cuts than they would have under Barbour's preference.

"House leadership asked the governor for his plan were he given additional authority to make more cuts, and that information showed an 8.7 percent cut to K-12 education, so this is actually less than what we would have seen had the Senate's bill been passed by the House," Loome said. "As painful as the cuts are, it's still an improvement."

Barbour encouraged schools to tap their budget reserve funds, which averaged about $500 million at the beginning of the fiscal year. He also urged districts to use about $133 million in interest gained from timber sales on 16th section land.

Those two figures represent the total at the beginning of the fiscal year, however. Schools have already been drawing from the funds for the last six months in reaction to steep budget cuts Barbour imposed earlier this fiscal year. In any case, not all schools have an equal portion of these funds.

"About 20 percent of the budget-reserve fund lies in three districts: Desoto, Rankin and Madison-all of which represent less than a percent of school districts in the state," Loome said, adding that the argument also holds true for the 16th Section land fund. "Some districts literally have less than $100 in (their 16th Section land fund), while others have considerably more," she said.

In addition to education, Barbour's favored Department of Corrections will see a massive $23.3 million in additional cuts totaling $26.5 million.

Barbour said the state would try to compensate for cuts to Corrections by using more for-profit private prisons in lieu of government correction facilities.

"I can't promise the cuts end here," Barbour added, "but we're trying to be prudent and make the cuts necessary.

Previous Comments

ID

155360

Comment

Privitizing prisons is one of the worst things that can happen. By making them for-profit, there's no incentive to reducing crime and opens doors to even more Draconian laws to put more people in prison for longer time. This is especially damaging to the black community, particularly young men.

Author

golden eagle

Date

2010-01-22T16:33:51-06:00

ID

155375

Comment

I'm sorry that the $170M cut was made and the $115M taken from rainy day(FY 10). State government is in need of modernization and downsizing (the general government also especially in our two war policy). Patronage is a problem for all democratic or autocratic governments. The big money that we are wasting is the administration and big salaries and duplication. A poor state like Mississippi cannot support eight colleges from the state treasury. Like Haiti, Afghanistan, Mexico, & c...we need a cash crop to provide employment and a sustainable economic base. Reefer should be the cash crop here. Large ag subsidies and other interest block it.

Author

Aeroscout

Date

2010-01-24T08:54:25-06:00

ID

155384

Comment

...put more people in prison for longer time. The only balance to that is that the budget cuts are dwindling the ranks of assistant district attorney's to almost none so there will be less prosecutions because there will be less prosecutors.

Author

WMartin

Date

2010-01-25T07:03:21-06:00

ID

155389

Comment

If the Governor plans to run for President of the United States of America, what will he use as evidence of his ability to govern?? If a small State like MS is facing these challenges with absolutely no progressive management under his leadership, what will he do with management for ALL of the States? What will be his platform? Will the Governor boast of his management of Katrina and the funds given to our state? Will he be able to explain a 6million dollar contract to his neice who had never cleaned up anything? This idea about privitizing prisons and the financial focus on this piece make my stomach hurt. So, the Gov. will consolidate BLACK Universities, Cut education to the bare bones, reduce the size of school districts and make mental health an entity to be managed in communities without adequate funding to hire/retain qualified staff to manage serious mental illnesses. What a life! What a way to govern!

Author

justjess

Date

2010-01-25T09:49:35-06:00

ID

155399

Comment

This governor only governs for the "haves" in MS, which are very few, but are the very powerful. Can someone explain to me how Desoto, Rankin, and Madison counties have a disproprotionate amount of school reserve and 16th section land funds? The rich get richer and the poor get poorer, that the Republican way!?!?!?!?!

Author

Renaldo Bryant

Date

2010-01-25T11:20:02-06:00

ID

155410

Comment

This stupid idea of "bargaining Power" with the Black Caucaus is crazy. So baquan2000, what do you think the trade-off is. Will Blacks vote to cut education, give Barbour more cutting power, cut mental health for the sake of announcing that he knows he CAN'T do. Barbour will not even dream of a consolidation for White Universities. This should be his same position with MS HBCU's. I believe that this will be a fight to the finish.

Author

justjess

Date

2010-01-25T12:49:10-06:00

ID

155414

Comment

Welcome to the new plutocracy (or kleptocracy if you prefer). Unlimited corporate control of political campaigns, candidates, and legislation. USA now = Unaccountable Corporate Structure.

Author

revdrstewart

Date

2010-01-25T13:12:12-06:00

ID

155417

Comment

Baquan, I know that someone had to draft the legislation so that the CBC would play ball. THe HBCU merging thing was a fear tactic that would get some legislators to allow for the other things he's proposing (like the mental health cuts and more budgetary paower). I don't even think that those mergers are even legal, considering the Ayers settlement, the Civil Rights act of '64 and the fact that Alcorn is a federal land grant institution. revdrstewart, you are right. The shame is that democratic government is the best thing the powerless have to protect themselves from the plutocrats and bougeoisie. Yet it seems that the masses give the only true power they have away to elites with the mythical promises of consumerism, class aspirations and greed. There's no way a person like Haley barbour should be governor of a state like MS. But he is simply because the masses allow it.

Author

Renaldo Bryant

Date

2010-01-25T13:29:34-06:00

ID

155420

Comment

Blackwatch, Rankin, Madison and Desoto counties have very high per capita income. As far as Rankin county is concerned, I have lived there for 25 years and raised 3 children in the public school system. Public ed in Rankin County K-12 is not free. I spent an average of $1000 yearly for each of my children to participate in trips, programs, workbooks, required books, supplies from craft supplies to paper towels and hand soap. Senior year was more like $3000. Also, 16th section land has been cleared of timber recently at a good price. Many other counties did that years ago to help their budgets. RCSD is a large district with a high percentage of parents with bachelor degrees. The district hides their "drop-out" numbers because low performing students often "transfer" to private schools giving RCSD a higher rating. Bottom line - parents are pro-active financially and personally in their children's education and building and repairs are paid through bonds. Not all counties can accomplish this. deltabelle

Author

deltabelle

Date

2010-01-25T14:05:00-06:00

ID

155429

Comment

Deltabelle, It is obvious that there is a higher concentration of well-to-do and educated parents in these counties, and that can account for things like facilities, teacher and administrator quality, community resources and thus overall educational quality in those areas. These issue I have is how did these communities obtain such a relatively high concentration of families like these, compared to Hinds county, the Delta, etc? Is it "natural selection"? For instance, how does the city of Madison have more Asian people than black people, when they are just north of Jackson, with a 70% Black population, as of 2007 Census estimate? These things then translate to more reserves, and I see how the 16th section deforestation could account for the inequalities there, but in a sense, that is due also to the concentration of wealth in these communities. They don't need to cash in on the land if they can pass bond issues to help with facilites. These things don't just happen. Decisions are made in corporate, school and municipal board rooms all over this state that characterize the inequalities that we see. Is it justice? Only if the ends justify the means.

Author

Renaldo Bryant

Date

2010-01-25T15:49:45-06:00