The Clarion Ledger is taking a hard look at how state lawmakers, the Mississippi Department of Education and others spend your tax dollars — particularly through earmarks, or "budget notes."

LATEST:State pay raises were so secret your legislator probably didn't know about them

Through lobbyists and campaign donations, vendors and programs sidestep the competitive bid process, essentially undercutting laws meant to ensure taxpayer get the right services at the best prices. Sometimes lawmakers use a legislative side door that allows them to direct money without the public's knowledge, or even their colleagues.

Here's what we've found — so far:

What's an earmark?

An earmark is when lawmakers choose to divert funds to a specific vendor or program, often writing them directly into a budget bill. Lawmakers say its their job to hash out the budget, but earmarks allow them play favorites.

Pay to play?

Since 2016, lawmakers have earmarked $10 million for 13 select vendors. The earmarks allow favored vendors who know the right people or hire the right lobbyists to bypass Mississippi's bid laws. The money is given to the vendors with little oversight by state education officials.

How one company avoided competitive bids — again

A company with a red flag in its past continued to get education earmarks until recently. Magee Enterprises benefited from a scheme to circumvent the competitive bid process in the 1990s before a state education official raised questions. The company's founder incorrectly claimed his company has not been directly written into education funding bills. A state education spokesman said state officials don't know what schools the program is being used in.

Wait, Weight Watchers?

Lawmakers gave Weight Watchers about $1.5 million in education earmarks, though the earmarks never appeared in any appropriations bills. Top lawmakers used a process called a "budget note" to direct the money. The money was supposed to be used for Weight Watchers vouchers for teachers. As the number of teachers using the program declined, Weight Watchers still got its money.

Secret pay raises

As state workers are frequently told there is not enough money in the budget for pay raises, others get secret pay raises through budget notes. Budget notes are supposed to be for clarifying spending bills, but top lawmakers and budget staff routinely use them to direct millions of dollars in pay raises and new positions. The State Personnel Board said it's trying to end this practice.

Ole Miss pre-K got nearly $1M in earmarks

A preschool on the campus of the University of Mississippi got $850,000 in earmarks. That's enough money to fund about 400 matching grants for free public pre-K programs for a single year. The Willie Price Learning Lab at Ole Miss charges about $6,000 a year. Preschools with similar accreditation at other public universities in Mississippi got no earmarks.

Millions just to hang posters

With the help of a powerful lawmaker and lobbyists, a Memphis company was paid millions of dollars just to hang up posters in schools. The company charged more than $250 apiece to hang up posters that cost $3 to print, for a total of $2.3 million. The Mississippi Legislature ordered agencies to spend money on SkoolAds, allowing the company to sidestep bidding rules and avoid oversight, even though one state agency said the poster program had no value and was unnecessary.

Watchdog report:How Mississippi lawmakers quietly funnel millions of education dollars to pet vendors

Pay to play? Why did Mississippi lawmakers give this company so much education money?

Watchdog report:Mississippi lawmakers funneled $1.5 million in education money to Weight Watchers

State spending:How lawmakers funneled nearly $1M to an Ole Miss preschool that charges $6K in tuition

State spending:Mississippi paid this out-of-state company $2.3M just to hang posters. Here's why.

Concerned about how lawmakers are spending your tax dollars? Contact Bracey Harris at 601-961-7248 or bharris2@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @BraceyHarris. Contact Giacomo "Jack" Bologna at 601-961-7282 or gbologna@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @gbolognaCL.