Elementary professional school counselors; allocate funds under the Mississippi Student Funding Formula for.

HB 172 would require Mississippi to allocate state funds under the Student Funding Formula to hire elementary school counselors, prioritizing school districts with the highest documented needs (based on low accreditation, crime rates, free lunch participation, and dropout rates). It mandates that every elementary school must have at least one state-funded counselor by 2026-2027, maintaining a 1:500 counselor-to-student ratio, with counselors required to hold a Master's in counseling and spend 80% of their time directly serving students. The bill also authorizes the State Department of Education to hire a supervisor for school counselors and sets qualifications for the role. The bill died in committee on February 3, 2026, and did not become law.