Mississippi Office of the State Auditor

REMINDER: Mississippi assistant teachers are some of the lowest paid workers in the entire state. The average assistant teacher in Mississippi could earn more money by leaving the classroom and becoming a fast food worker. Mississippi also spends more of its K-12 education budget on administration than every other state in the South. Here's a crazy idea: cut the administration bureaucracy and redirect that money to teacher and assistant teacher salaries.

The Mississippi Office of the State Auditor has found a lot of waste in state government over the years: - Dead folks on the Medicaid rolls - Taxpayer-funded cell-phones for state employees that are never turned on - Welfare funds spent on speeding tickets, cell-phone bills, and college football tickets - Millions in education and health benefits going to illegal immigrants - Hundreds of millions in unemployment benefits going to ineligible people - Nonprofits spending taxpayer grants on parties and midnight Lyft rides to bars - Millions spent by universities on DEI programs - State agencies buying TV screens for $5,800 - State officials using the state plane for non-official trips (like an out-of-state college baseball game) - Administration spending in K-12 education increasing despite the number of students and teachers decreasing - More spending on cars and travel for state employees than other similar-sized states Moral of the story? If there's waste in state government then we will find it and we will let the public know about it. Taxpayers deserve as much transparency as possible and if you're money is being wasted then you deserve to know. Sunlight is the best disinfectant.

The Mississippi Office of the State Auditor is proud to announce that we've recovered $135,562.71 of your tax dollars in the month of September!

Take a minute and listen to State Auditor Shad White explain why our office joined a partnership with ICE to keep our communities safer and protect your tax dollars from being spent on illegal immigrants. 👇👇👇

ICYMI: Please take a moment to read the latest op-ed written by State Auditor Shad White published in the Laurel Leader-Call. https://lnkd.in/gP6dtr7e

Auditor's Office Finds Nearly a Third of Mississippi State Agencies Fail Cybersecurity Requirements JACKSON, Miss. – Mississippi government offices are at risk of cybercrimes due to not meeting cybersecurity assessment requirements according to a new report released by the Mississippi Office of the State Auditor. “Part of our role in my office according to state regulations is to report on whether agencies have followed the steps to protect themselves from hackers,” said Auditor White. “This report should be a loud warning bell to state officials.” Analysts at the State Auditor’s Office, working in conjunction with the Mississippi Department of Information Technology Services, found that nearly one third of state agencies have not met a legal requirement to conduct a comprehensive, third-party cybersecurity assessment. Agencies must hire an outside firm to test their system for weaknesses. State agencies that fail to follow the cybersecurity program exposes critical government operations to unnecessary risk. Recently, Mississippi government offices have been victims of cybercrime, such as the following: • In July 2025, an online meeting of the Mississippi Opioid Settlement Fund Advisory Council, hosted by the Attorney General’s office, was hacked. • A data breach in late 2024 disrupted the Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District. • A 2023 ransomware attack on Hinds County disrupted government services and prevented citizens from registering vehicles or completing real estate transactions. The attack cost taxpayers at least $600,000 to resolve. State agencies who are not in compliance should engage IT professionals to ensure their agency is following state law. The full report can be found under the “Reports” tab on the Auditor’s website and searching “cybersecurity.”

Auditor's Office Arrests Former City of Natchez Employee JACKSON, Miss. – Today State Auditor Shad White announced that Special Agents from his office have arrested Rebekah Turner, former Accounts Receivable Clerk for the City of Natchez, for allegedly embezzling funds from the city. Turner allegedly took cash from deposits made to her office by other city departments and converted that money to her own personal use. “The dedicated team at the Office of the State Auditor will continue to work with prosecutors so we can continue delivering record results for taxpayers,” said State Auditor Shad White. “This is how we’ve recovered more money in the last seven years than any other seven-year period.” Turner faces up to $5,000 in fines and 20 years in prison. All persons arrested by the Mississippi Office of the State Auditor are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Suspected fraud can be reported to the Auditor’s office at any time by clicking the red button on the Auditor's website or calling 1-(800)-321-1275 during normal business hours.

Analysts in our office found that Mississippi taxpayers spends $190 million each year providing junk food to people through SNAP, a "nutrition assistance" program. If Mississippi obtained a waiver to remove sugary drinks and candy from SNAP, recipients would be healthier and taxpayers would see millions in savings to the state's Medicaid program. 12 states have already submitted a waiver to do exactly this. It's time for Mississippi to join that list.

The Mississippi Office of the State Auditor has recovered more money in the last seven years than any other seven-year period in the history of the Auditor's Office. We're very proud of this accomplishment and will continue working to deliver record results for taxpayers.

Last year we released a report showing that illegal immigration costs Mississippi taxpayers over $100 million every year. And now this year we're announcing a partnership with ICE so that Auditor Office Agents can assist with immigration enforcement when needed.