How low can the state go?

The Commercial Dispatch, Columbus, Miss.: As any third-grader should know, there are 50 states in the United States. When it comes to education, Mississippi ranks 51st.

You can’t get any lower than that.

If ever there were a wake-up call for Mississippians, this should be it.

In its report released Thursday, Education Weekly places Mississippi at the very bottom in education, below the other 49 states and the District of Columbia, which has long been considered the educational equivalent of the abyss.

That Mississippi lags behind in education is nothing new, of course, but the news that our state has sank to a depth that can no longer be plumbed should serve as a sobering reminder that the time for quick fixes has past.

As it has just in just about every annual session, the Legislature will devote some attention to improving our schools. There will be big talk, followed by small actions. There will be grand pronouncement of ambitious goals, but few resources set aside to achieve those goals.

Funding formula

Again, we will hear the call for the Legislature to set aside the funds required by state law as implemented by the Mississippi Adequate Education Program of 1997. Under that plan, Mississippi public schools would be funded through a formula established by the Legislature. Since its inception, our schools have met MAEP standards just twice.

Funding continues to lag, with estimates showing that our schools have been underfunded by hundreds of millions of dollars since MAEP was written into law.

It’s time to put up or shut up.