JACKSON — A great deal of focus is being placed on the issue of how to improve chronically low performing school districts. Gov. Haley Barbour held a summit on the issue recently.

Politicians as diverse as the Republican Barbour and Democratic President Barack Obama agree the schools must be improved for the state and country to progress.

In Mississippi, this past year the Legislature passed and Barbour signed the landmark Children First Act that gives the state more authority to take over low performing districts.

No doubt, the issue of children not learning is as serious as any issue in the country.

In Mississippi, leaders are putting in place tough new accountability standards to try to deal with the issue. But one thing continues to be lacking — funding.

Mississippi is putting new standards on teachers and administrators. Standards that should be met.

By the same token, leaders continue to not fully fund the Adequate Education Program. In other words leaders are not providing the amount of money that is by law deemed needed to provide an adequate education.

Mississippi, like the rest of the nation, faces budget woes because of declining revenue collections. But in Mississippi, which is already behind most of the rest of the nation in education funding and  has further to go to improve its schools, education cuts can be an especially difficult whammy.

Education was cut last year and this year, and it is not likely to be fully funded next year.