Bill
Bill > SB2618
MS SB2618
School attendance officers; transfer responsibility of employment from MDE to local school districts.
summary
Introduced
01/20/2025
01/20/2025
In Committee
02/17/2025
02/17/2025
Crossed Over
02/12/2025
02/12/2025
Passed
Dead
03/12/2025
03/12/2025
Introduced Session
Potential new amendment
2025 Regular Session
Bill Summary
An Act To Amend Sections 37-13-81, 37-13-83, 37-13-85, 37-13-87 And 37-13-89, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Clarify The Name Of The Office Of Compulsory School Attendance Enforcement And Dropout Prevention Within The State Department Of Education; To Provide That The State Superintendent Of Public Education Shall Employ Sufficient Staff For The Office, Who Shall Meet Qualifications Established By The Superintendent With The Approval Of The State Personnel Board, To Provide Oversight For The Enforcement Of The Mississippi Compulsory School Attendance Law, And To Support And Provide Technical Assistance And Professional Development To School Attendance Officers; To Transfer The Responsibility For Employing And Establishing The Duties Of School Attendance Officers From The State Department Of Education To Local School Districts; To Abolish The Three Regional School Attendance Officer Supervisor Positions; To Provide That School Attendance Officers Employed By The State Department Of Education On July 1, 2025, Shall Be Transferred To Employment Status As Employees Of Their Respective School Districts With Work Locations Therein And Shall Enforce Attendance At Charter Schools Located Within The School District; To Provide For The Sharing Of Administrative And Costs-sharing Responsibilities Of Two Or More School Districts Which Were Simultaneously Served By The Same School Attendance Officer; To Provide For The Transfer Of Any Unused Accumulated Leave; To Require The State To Provide Funding For One School Attendance Officer For Every 3,000 Compulsory-school-age Children In Enrollment In The Public Schools Of A County; To Establish The Minimum Salary Of Newly Hired School Attendance Officers Beginning July 1, 2025, And Authorize Local School Boards To Pay Additional Compensation Above The Minimum Salary On A Scale Established By The Local School Board; To Provide That School Attendance Officers Shall Not Experience Any Interruption Of Service With The Public Employees' Retirement System And The School Employees' Health Insurance Plan As A Result Of The Transfer Of Employment Responsibility; To Require The State Department Of Education And The Mississippi Association Of School Superintendents To Provide A Joint Report On The Status And Progress Of School Attendance Officers In Their Capacity As Employees Of Local School Districts And The Fulfillment Of Their Assigned Duties To The Legislature During The 2027 Regular Session; To Amend Sections 37-13-91 And 37-13-107, Mississippi Code Of 1972, In Conformity To The Preceding Provisions; And For Related Purposes.
AI Summary
This bill transfers the employment of school attendance officers from the Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) to local school districts, effective July 1, 2025. Currently state-employed, school attendance officers will become employees of the local school districts where they work, with the state providing funding for one officer per 3,000 compulsory-school-age children. The bill establishes a minimum salary of $34,000 for newly hired school attendance officers and allows local school boards to provide additional compensation. School attendance officers will continue to enforce compulsory school attendance laws, including for charter schools within their districts, and will receive continued support and technical assistance from the MDE's Office of Compulsory School Attendance Enforcement and Dropout Prevention. The bill ensures that transferred employees will maintain their retirement and health insurance benefits, transfer any unused leave, and continue to require annual training. Additionally, the State Department of Education and the Mississippi Association of School Superintendents must provide a joint report to the Legislature in 2027 about the progress of school attendance officers under this new employment structure. The changes aim to localize the management of school attendance while maintaining state-level oversight and support for ensuring student attendance.
Committee Categories
Education
Sponsors (3)
Last Action
Died On Calendar (on 03/12/2025)
Official Document
bill text
bill summary
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bill summary
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bill summary
Document Type | Source Location |
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State Bill Page | https://billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/2025/pdf/history/SB/SB2618.xml |
Committee Amendment No 1 | https://billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/documents/2025/html/ham/SB2618_H_Cmte_Amend_01.htm |
BillText | https://billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/documents/2025/html/SB/2600-2699/SB2618PS.htm |
Amendment No 1 (Cmte Sub) | https://billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/documents/2025/html/sam/SB2618_S_(Cmte_Sub)_Amend_01.htm |
BillText | https://billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/documents/2025/html/SB/2600-2699/SB2618CS.htm |
BillText | https://billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/documents/2025/html/SB/2600-2699/SB2618IN.htm |
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