On Monday, the Republican governor published his budget plan in advance of the 2020 session. Then legislators will begin to work on funding a budget for the new fiscal years that begins July 1. The state budget is set by the legislature. Governors rarely follow their recommendations. He did not mention a teacher raise as a priority in the budget for the next session during a briefing via Facebook Monday afternoon. This was one of his top campaign promises. It does not appear that a teacher raise was included in his executive budget recommendation, which was published Monday under state law. Bailey Martin, spokesperson for Mississippi Today, said that he believes it is possible to find funds to pay teacher raises. Due to very conservative revenue estimates, most of the money available for the priority listed in the EBR was one-time funds and not recurring revenue. The majority of the projects Gov. Reeves’ proposals fall within that category. However, we believe that we can fund teacher pay. The executive budget recommendation recommends that the personal income tax which generates approximately $1.9 billion annually be phased out by 2030. In a budget narrative, the governor stated that this plan is a gradual approach and will allow us to make sure adequate funding will be available to education, law enforcement, and transportation priorities. The proposal would save someone making $40,000 approximately $1,850 annually. Reeves made it a top priority to raise teacher salaries by $4,200 over the course of his campaign for governor in 2019. It appeared that Reeves and the legislative leadership were ready to give teachers a significant salary increase during the 2020 session. However, this plan was halted by the anticipated decline in state revenue due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Last week, the Lieutenant Governor. Delbert Hosemann stated that he supports teacher pay increases in 2021, if the revenue permits it. Reeves stated that state revenue is strong, and advocated the elimination of the income taxes. However, he did not address the teacher salary increase. Reeves stated that Mississippi must make bold moves to attract new residents and business. Senator Hob Bryan (D-Amory), who was the 1990s author of a major income tax reduction, stated that “now is not a time to be cutting taxes during the pandemic.” He stated that education, transportation, and many other areas of state government were not adequately funded. Bryan stated that if we reduce taxes, the money available to fund public schools will be much lower. Bryan stated that the reason we aren’t funding schools at the level required by law is because they don’t have the money. However, the political leadership claim that we are not. The Mississippi Adequate Education Program, which funds the basic operation and maintenance of local school districts in Mississippi, was not fully funded under Reeves proposal. This amounts to more than $250 million less than full funding. Bryan said that the Legislature should repeal the 7% food tax, which is the most severe state-imposed tax in the country. Reeves stated that Mississippi’s high food tax disproportionately affects its poor residents. Reeves stated that most agencies were adequately funded in his budget proposal of $6.13 billion. Reeves’ budget proposal is actually $1.17 billion, or 16.1% less than what the budget for the current fiscal years. The budget for the current fiscal year includes more than $1 billion of federal funds that are used to fight the coronavirus. $200,000 was spent on public schools. Reeves proposed limiting funding for schools that do not offer in-person learning through COVID-19. Reeves proposes $3 million to fund a Patriotic Education Fund. This will combat “indoctrination into the far-left socialist teachings which emphasize America’s failures over the extraordinary achievements of this nation.” Reeves also proposed limiting funding to schools that do not offer in-person learning because of COVID-19. “Capitalism and democracy have all been affected by a campaign of domestic and foreign influence, which aims to undermine the foundations of our society. The United States is the most powerful country in history. No other country has done more to improve freedom and prosperity around the world than the United States. We must combat the drastic shift in education.” Reeves also proposed funds to hire math coaches in public schools, expand computer science programs, and increase workforce training. The governor proposed funds to assist small businesses that have been affected by the pandemic. The governor also requests additional funding for the police academy. He said that those funds were requested in response to other calls for a decrease in police funding. Reeves stated that law enforcement officers all over the country have been under attack in recent months for their work. “These courageous men and women risk their lives every day to protect our communities. “I am committed to providing sufficient resources for law enforcement officers so they can have the training and resources necessary for their duties.”