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A Federal Grant to Save Education?

In a year when Mississippi's K-12 educational system faces potentially crippling budget cuts, a federal grant program promising up to $175 million has offered a bit of hope to state education advocates. But the Mississippi Department of Education has frustrated some of those advocates by forgoing an early application deadline that many believe would have improved the state's chances.

JSU President Mason Proposes HBCU Merger Into ‘Jacobs State'

Read Jacobs State Proposal

Board Approves University Tuition Hikes

The state College Board approved tuition increases for Mississippi's eight public universities at a meeting this morning. The increases, which will take place over two years, are necessary to offset current and anticipated budget cuts, state Higher Education Commissioner Hank Bounds said.

Bounds Predicts Job Losses, Tuition Hikes

State higher education commissioner Hank Bounds said today that Mississippi's public university system will likely shed 1,000 jobs over the next two years due to budget cuts. Speaking today to the state Institutitions of Higher Learning Board of Trustees, Bounds delivered dire news about the effects of a more than 8 percent budget cut and recommended that the board approve a series of tuition increases.

Flaggs Backs Down on Mergers

Rep. George Flaggs, D-Vicksburg, has changed his tune somewhat regarding Gov. Haley Barbour's budget recommendation for merging Mississippi's historically black colleges and universities.

Undisclosed Funders Pay for Consolidation Study

Gov. Haley Barbour's Commission on Education Structure will use funds from an undisclosed private source to pay for a study of school consolidation. At its first meeting yesterday, the Commission agreed to pay a Denver-based consulting firm $72,000 to deliver a report on the potential cost-savings and improvements to educational quality offered by merging some of the state's 152 school districts.

Bounds: Universities Will Have To Cut Programs

State Higher Education Commissioner Hank Bounds told legislators Tuesday that funding cuts will force Mississippi's eight public universities to eliminate programs and consider raising tuition. Speaking to the House Universities and Colleges Committee, Bounds warned that the state's universities would not be able to recoup lost state funding solely by increasing efficiency in areas like administration, purchasing and energy usage.

Barbour Wants 68 Percent Cuts to Ed Programs

Gov. Haley Barbour is recommending cutting education programs for gifted, special and vocational programs by 68 percent, reports WLBT. Making such deep cuts to state funding for the programs would result in losing $176 million in federal funding, as well.

Barbour Names Commission on School Consolidation

Gov. Haley Barbour announced yesterday the formation of an advisory panel on school consolidation, one of the more controversial suggestions from his November budget recommendations. Composed of state and local education officials, business leaders and legislators, the 16-member Commission on Mississippi Education will begin studying consolidation in January 2010 and deliver a report to the governor by April.

College Board Loosens Firing Rules

Facing steep budget cuts this year and a bleak outlook for the next two years, the state College Board gave initial approval yesterday to a policy change that would allow university presidents greater flexibility in firing tenured and tenure-track professors.

College Tuition Increases Possible

One of the things the Mississippi College Board is considering to offset the decrease in state funding is to increase tuition for students. During yesterday's meeting at the state Institutions of Higher Learning offices, Commissioner Hank Bounds brought the issue to the table, reports NEMS360.com

Youth Justice Project Sues Hinds County Schools

The Mississippi Youth Justice Project filed a lawsuit today against the Hinds County School District, alleging that the district unlawfully targeted a student for expulsion. The student, identified in the complaint only by his initials, A.H., was a freshman at Terry High School. District officials suspended, then expelled and placed him in an alternative school for his involvement in what the lawsuit calls a "coin-tossing game" on a school bus.

Jackson High School Wins National Honor

U.S. News & World Report has named Murrah High School in Jackson a Silver Medal school in the magazine's latest list of America's Best High Schools. Murrah was the only school in the state and one of 461 high schools in the nation to earn the Silver Medal designation, which is based on how well schools prepare students for college. No Mississippi schools were among the 100 selected as Gold Medal schools, the highest level.

JPS Gifted Students Give Back

A community service program for Jackson Public Schools students culminates today in an alternative gift market. From 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Jackson Medical Mall (350 W. Woodrow Wilson Ave.), JPS students will be selling gifts like care packages that benefit local and international aid organizations.

Ally Mack

On Nov. 12, the Mississippi World Trade Center announced the first recipient for its Excellence in Trade Education Award: Jackson State University's Dean of International Studies Dr. Ally Mack. The center, a non-profit membership organization that assists Mississippi businesses in all aspects of international trade, awarded the honor to Mack for her outstanding contributions to international education.

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