Nonprofit Mississippi News TUNICA – Mississippi students outperformed the nation in kindergarten readiness tests, third grade reading “gate” exams, graduation rates, and reading and math assessments. Carey Wright, the state superintendent of education, stated last week at a Mississippi Delta highschool that additional federal dollars could help the state do more. Wright addressed a group high school and middle school students at Rosa Fort High School gym, which was filled with handmade signs and colorful posters. He spoke about the 2020 census count, its importance for youth, rural communities, and communities that are difficult to count or likely to be overlooked. Low-income, black and Native American households are also at risk. Wright stated that special education, teacher professional development and technology are all funded by the state. He also mentioned Head Start, Head Start, and student lunch assistance. “And if they don’t have accurate data, Mississippi doesn’t get accurate dollars sent back to us in a timely manner.” Tunica County is similar to other counties in the Delta. It has a difficult to count population. According to the most recent census data, 100 percent of Tunica’s population lives in difficult-to-count neighborhoods. Mississippi’s 27 percent population lives in difficult to count areas. This is compared to neighboring states. The Mississippi Department of Education launched the U.S. Census Bureau’s Statistics in Schools program here. This program encourages adults and teachers to show students why it is important to answer the census. Wright was on this tour and plans to visit Jackson Public Schools. The census is an annual count of all living people in the 50 United States, District of Columbia and five United States Territories. The Census Bureau conducts this count every ten years in order to collect data about the economy and people. The survey can be completed online, by telephone or postal mail. The census will start sending letters to all households starting March 12. This data is used to create data sets that determine how billions of dollars are distributed to over 100 programs, including Medicaid, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programs (SNAP), National School Lunch Program and infrastructure. Data from the census also determines the number and drawing of legislative and congressional district. To decide whether to move to a community, businesses use census data. “Not being counted doesn’t mean you won’t have a (Congressman), Bennie Thompson. Marilyn Stephens, assistant region census manager, stated that they could wipe out this district. Wright stated that for every student not included in the state’s census, the state will lose an average of $3,000 annually. She said that counties could lose anywhere from $5,500 to $1.7 million annually. According to the George Washington University Institute of Public Policy, Mississippi received $10 billion in 2017 for 55 federal programs. This was based on 2010 census data. This program, Counting for Your Dollars 2020 examines how the census affects federal program funding. California is No. 1 received $115 billion in 2017. According to attendees at Mississippi Today’s Public Newsroom workshop, the importance of the census means that state legislators and government officials must go above and beyond their duty to ensure accurate counts. “It’s only when it’s necessary to take the census that you hear about it. The same goes for elected officials. Where are they now? This is something we don’t discuss in schools. “Why isn’t this talked about in the way it should?” a participant said. California is spending more than $180million this year to educate its citizens, particularly “Latino communities,” while Texas legislators have implemented a similar statewide initiative. Reveal reports that California has also invested over $180 million in education. The Mississippi Legislature passed SB2149 in February. It authorized $400,000 more to the Department of Finance and Administration to “enter into contracts for advertising media marketing and public relations services for 2020 census.” DFA’s director of communications, Chuck McIntosh said that the Department is responsible for paying the bills. He stated that no funds had been dispersed to his knowledge. He said that the Mississippi Complete Count Committee and The Focus Group, a Biloxi-based advertising and public relations firm, are responsible for the advertising of the census. A Mississippi Complete Count Committee was established by an executive order in 2019. It consists of approximately twelve members. Their primary responsibility is to ensure that the census has the highest participation rate. Giles Ward, former state legislator, is the chairman of the committee. He said that billboards, television, and newspaper ads are already in use. He said that they would begin recording messages in Spanish and Vietnamese. Lt. Gov. At a briefing held on Thursday, Delbert Hosemann spoke out about Mississippi’s investment in celebrity advertisements by Morgan Freeman, an Academy Award-winning actor and Marty Stuart’s Grammy-award-winning country music singer/songwriter’s “Time Don’t Wait”. Lt. Governor: “This is huge economics in Mississippi… Many of our people don’t have access to computers so we are challenged here.” At a briefing on February 20, Delbert Hosemann stated. “April 1 is Census Day, and we are only weeks away from it and y’all don’t talk about it that much. I will tell you, we can work really hard to get a teacher raise that costs $30 million or $40 million, however, we could lose that amount in the census.” Delta residents attending Mississippi Today’s Public Newsroom workshop pointed out reasons why they don’t complete it. Wright, the top education official in Mississippi, stated that her goal was to spread the word about the census. It’s really that easy, every person will be counted. There is no question about your income. She said that you are not asked about your income. Mississippi Today has created a guide for readers to provide more information about the census. It includes an overview of the census and interactive timeline. It can be accessed here.