Mississippi

In a March 3, 1803 Act of Congress that regulated the disposal of lands in the Territory of Mississippi, the center section of each township, numbered sixteen, was set aside for public schools. Townships were established as part of the survey system used by the United States. Townships are parcels of thirty-six square miles with six miles on a side and are divided into sub-units of one square mile known as sections. After Mississippi became a state the lands were granted and initially there were 838,329 acres. The lands in the northern part of the state became known as Chickasaw lands (174,555) and those in the south were Chocktaw lands (663,774 acres), named for the Indian tribes that originally occupied the land. A fund was established for each land set where sale proceeds were deposited constituting a permanent fund.

The legislature named the Chocktaw fund the Literary Fund with a requirement that distribution from the fund could not be made until the principal reached $50,000 which it did sometime before 1833 when the legislature made available a distribution of the interest and dividends only, with the principal being deposited into the Planter's Bank of the State of Mississippi. The fund no longer exists and most of the lands were sold. Some lands were leased for a ninety-nine year term.

The revenue from the Chickasaw lands was deposited into the Chickasaw Fund, now called the Education Improvement Trust Fund. In FY2005, this fund was worth $37 million and the interest at 2.3 percent all went to schools. What remains in the fund is managed by the State Treasurer and revenue from the fund is distributed to the school districts according to the county acreage.

The remaining lands are managed by each local school board where the land is located. They also manage a fund consisting of surface and mineral revenue from the land.

Mississippi is a new participant in the CLASS organization. Further research into the history and current practices is ongoing. The Division of Public Lands within the Mississippi Department of the Secretary of State remains involved with the school trust. Dick Molpus, a former Mississippi Secretary of State serving from 1984-1986 and advocate for public education, was a featured speaker at the Summer 2006 CLASS Conference.

Research Links

Mississippi State Treasurer

http://www.treasury.state.ms.us/

Available Documents

Title	Link
Mississippi Enabling Act	download
Original School Acreage	download
Mississippi State Constitution	download
FY 2008 Surface Revenue	download
Surface and Mineral Acreage	download
FY 2008 Mineral Revenue	download
FY 2008 Distribution to Public Schools	download
FY 2008 Permanent Fund Data	download

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