Mississippi teachers say new digital process delays access to classroom supply funds
Teachers across Mississippi said a new state process to distribute Education Enhancement Fund money is making it harder to buy classroom supplies, with educators calling the change “insane, cumbersome and frustrating,” according to Kelly Riley, executive director of Mississippi Professional Educators.
The Education Enhancement Fund, established in 2012, gives each K-12 public school teacher $748 — roughly $25 million in total — to buy classroom supplies, the state has said. State leaders this year moved the money to a digital wallet platform and said districts could access funds July 15, replacing physical procurement cards, according to Shanderia Minor, a spokeswoman for the Mississippi Department of Education. State Superintendent Lance Evans said the platform streamlines purchases and reflects input from district leaders.
Teachers and suppliers said the change has created new hurdles. The ClassWallet marketplace lists more than 160 vendors, but only five Mississippi-based vendors are approved for reimbursements on the state site, and commonly used local vendors are not included, the department’s website shows. Teachers must spend money up front and have purchases approved for reimbursement, and the department must vet new vendors for itemized, tax-exempt receipts before they can be added, the agency said. That process, educators warned, could take weeks.
The State Auditor Shad White’s office said on social media that the education agency has “misinformed the public” about the program and urged the department to fix the new process. The auditor’s office said teachers again will have to spend their own funds while navigating “bureaucratic hoops,” the statement reads.
Teachers also said required training sessions have been difficult to access. The department required educators to attend or watch one of five virtual sessions before accounts can be activated; many said the July 13 webinar reached capacity. Marie Lane, a special education teacher in north Mississippi, said she waited for the meeting but was locked out and expects to pay out of pocket for items she needs. David Bates, owner of Old School Learning Depot in Pascagoula and one of the state-approved vendors, said the new process could cost his small business about $60,000 in lost revenue. Jean Cook, a department spokeswoman, said homeschool vendors appear on ClassWallet because the platform operates nationally and that the Mississippi-specific vendor list will be updated weekly, according to the agency’s website.
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