On Nov. 3, 2015, there will be vote for the Mississippi Public School Support Amendments, Initiative 42 and the other option, Alternative 42. This is the first time in Mississippi’s history that the Mississippi Legislature has proposed an alternative amendment to an initiated constitutional amendment.

The ballot will be set up with two votes. The first will ask for voter approval on either of the amendments or neither of them. If the majority of voters vote “either,” the law will be decided in the next part of the ballot. If the majority votes “neither,” neither of the amendments will be made into law. In the next part of the ballot, people who selected “either” in the previous section will indicate which amendment they would prefer to be the law. The two options are Initiative 42 and Alternative 42. As stated before, if the majority of voters select “either” in the first vote, the majority of votes in the second will decide what will be law.

The current Section 201 of Article VIII of the Mississippi Constitution states, “The Legislature shall, by general law, provide for the establishment, maintenance and support of free public schools upon such conditions and limitations as the Legislature may prescribe.” Initiative 42 calls for an amendment to that which states, “Educational Opportunity for public school children: To protect each child’s fundamental right to educational opportunity the State shall provide for the establishment, maintenance and support of an adequate and efficient system of free public schools. The chancery courts of this State shall have the power to enforce this section with appropriate injunctive relief.” Alternative 42 asserts, “The Legislature shall, by general law, provide for the establishment, maintenance and support of an effective system of free public schools upon such conditions and limitations as the Legislature may prescribe.”

In plain words, both amendments are attempts at making a more effective system for funding public education in Mississippi. Initiative 42 directs the funding decisions to judicial powers, or the court; meanwhile, Alternative 42 leaves the power with the Legislature while making changes for a more efficient system.

This would affect the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science and other public schools in the state because public school funding would be up to the chancery court, rather than the Legislature. Funds and allocations could be fundamentally changed based on the vote. They would decide how much money is spent and where that money would go.

Senior Shawna McKissack said, “I think that Initiative 42 is a good choice because the judicial branch can force legislation to follow through, rather than what we have now where the legislation makes and breaks the budget as they see fit.”