Recognizing the need to change the way education advocates across the state address the delivery of free public education for all children, One Voice began to explore opportunities for a nontraditional, coalition-based campaign to increase quality education. Seeking to create a movement to increase civic participation in communities, it was important that a successful campaign be both inclusive and empowering to overcome long-standing racial, religious, and regional divides in state politics.
To increase the likelihood of success, we determined it was critical not to anchor the campaign in any individual or organizational identity. Additionally, the work of gathering signatures is grassroots lobbying and thus an Internal Revenue Code 501(c)(4) activity. Under Mississippi state law, ballot measure promoters are required to organize as a political action committee. Considering these factors and polling data, Better Schools Better Jobs was organized as a separate 501(c)(4) entity.
Understanding the importance of the initiative, communities across the state banded together, collecting just under 200,000 signatures and qualifying the measure for the 2015 general election ballot. Initiative 42 would have amended Section 201 of the State Constitution, making free public education a fundamental right for all children and requiring full funding for the MAEP formula. Although the initiative did not pass, education stakeholders remain steadfast in their commitment to improving educational outcomes for students in Mississippi.