JACKSON, Miss. (Queen City Newsfeed) – Mississippi State Auditor Shad White said Thursday his office will continue monitoring the distribution of Education Enhancement Fund classroom supply money after the Mississippi Department of Education committed in writing to making the funds available to teachers by July 15.
In a Facebook post Thursday, the Mississippi Office of the State Auditor reiterated White’s position that teachers should receive access to their EEF funds before their professional development days begin so they can prepare their classrooms without paying out of pocket.
According to documents released by the auditor’s office, White sent a letter to State Superintendent Dr. Lance Evans on June 17 requesting an update on the department’s plans for distributing EEF procurement funds for the 2026-27 school year.
White noted that a review conducted by his office last year found that 75% of Mississippi teachers were already back in their classrooms by Aug. 1, while 76% of students had already returned before teachers had access to their dedicated classroom supply funds.
In a June 22 response, Evans wrote that the Mississippi Department of Education would make EEF funds available to teachers on July 15, 2026, describing it as the earliest date the funds can be spent because the state’s approximately $25 million Education Enhancement Fund appropriation is not transferred to the department until after the start of the fiscal year.
Evans said the department is transitioning from the previous U.S. Bank procurement card system to ClassWallet, a digital wallet platform designed specifically for restricted classroom supply funds. According to the letter, the new system will provide real-time spending controls, automated receipt capture and reconciliation, faster customer support and improved reimbursement options for Mississippi-based and local vendors.
The superintendent said implementation is taking place on a phased schedule, with testing completed in early July and funded accounts expected to go live by mid-July so administrators and teachers are prepared when the funds become available.
The auditor’s office said the Mississippi Department of Education and local school districts control when the money reaches teachers.
“Our office is committed to transparency in state government and will continue to do everything we can to ensure teachers don’t have to spend their own money to set up their classroom,” the office said in its Thursday Facebook post.
The Education Enhancement Fund provides classroom supply money to Mississippi public school teachers each school year.
