By Rupert Howell
Retired Mississippi Supreme Court Justice and South Panola football play-by-play announcer George C. Carlson publicly threw his support behind Proposition 42 in a statewide radio broadcast Monday morning on the Paul Gallo show on Mississippi Supertalk radio.

Proposition 42 is a ballot initiative for a school funding formula placed on the November ballot through a statewide petition process.

Carlson also denounced the state legislature for adding an alternative amendment to the November ballot stating, “I think the issue was to confuse voters.”

Carlson said although he didn’t agree with all the wording in the 42 initiative, he thought the school funding issue should be supported through the ballot initiative rather than in the courts or the Legislature’s alternate proposal.

Carlson said he didn’t agree with former Governor Ronnie Musgrove’s lawsuit against the state to repay to the school districts’ money from the years the districts were not fully funded through the current law.

Musgrove’s law firm has signed up several districts to bring suit against the state for not funding school districts according to the current law. Both South Panola and North Panola Districts did not join the lawsuit.

Carlson also said he didn’t think the answer to better education was, “more money,” commending local stewardship of funds.