Topping news in Mississippi this week:
• Specifics of a new public school funding formula should be revealed by the end of March. On Wednesday, Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves said that if a new formula is created, it will be similar to the “student-focused” proposal made by the EdBuild consulting firm in January.
• At a Thursday press conference, the Mississippi Department of Transportation announced an eight-year plan that’s meant to address the state’s crumbling infrastructure. Central District commissioner Dick Hall says the plan, which includes 550 projects, will cost $400 million
• Two bills that proposed a merger of the Mississippi Arts Commission into the Mississippi Development Authority died in legislative committees on Tuesday. The proposed bills would have transferred all duties of the current arts commission to the economic development office.