Education Bill Roundup
The 2016 Mississippi Legislature is steamrolling ahead with bills affecting public education. Here are a few for consideration.
Durant Superintendent Not Allowed to Speak on His District’s Consolidation
Thanks to SB 2494, authored by Senate Education Committee Chairman Sen. Gray Tollison, R-Oxford, Dr. Robinson's school district is up for involuntary consolidation with the neighboring Holmes County School District.
Voucher Expansion Bill Dies in Committee
The effort to expand public-education vouchers to allow low-income families to send their children to private schools died today in committee.
Experts: Silencing Teachers 'Probably Legal,' But May 'Chill' Rights
Retired Ridgeland High School band director Keith Moffat says the Mississippi Legislature is part of the reason he no longer works in the public-school system.
Voucher Bill Moves Forward in Mississippi Legislature
A bill moving forward in the Mississippi House of Representatives would vastly expand a small program to use tax money to pay private school tuition or for home-schooling.
Lawmakers Look to Consolidate at Least 10 School Districts
Mississippi lawmakers want to abolish two school districts and consolidate at least eight others, part of a renewed push to pare down the state's 144 school districts to increase efficiency.
Charter School Expansion Bills Ignite House, Senate
So far, only two charter schools operate in the state, but the Mississippi House and Senate Education Committees met yesterday in hot debate over the establishment of more.
Lawmakers: Sound Smarter About Education
It is a leap in logic to say that districts in more affluent areas perform better with less public dollars; thus, that's all the funds poorer districts need.
Muzzling Mississippi’s Educators
Going into last November's elections, Mississippi educators were hoping for real leadership. Instead, what they got was more of the same.
Legislators Determined to Tinker with Public Ed
Just three months after Initiative 42 failed in the November election, the Mississippi Legislature has already seen an explosion of controversial education bills—with school consolidation leading the pack.
Rep. Moore: 42 Campaign Used Teachers like 'Cheap Rug,' Authors Bill to Limit Politicizing
School-district personnel need to politicize on their own time, rather than during the performance of their official school-related duties, Rep. John Moore, R-Brandon, told the Jackson Free Press today, adding that they are often used like a "cheap rug" for political purposes.
Tollison: 'No Data' Show That Appointing Superintendents Helps School Achievement (UPDATED)
"No data" back the idea that appointing school superintendents rather than electing them will actually raise test scores or improve achievement in the state's public schools, the author of the legislation said today in the Mississippi Senate.
Senate Panel Seeks Appointed Local School Superintendents
Mississippi lawmakers are making a fresh push to have 55 elected local school superintendents appointed by school boards instead, with the Senate Education Committee approving such a bill Wednesday.
2016 Education Bills
Education is a hot topic in the Mississippi Legislature. The following education bills dropped for consideration.
‘The First Time I Got Shot, I Was in Fifth Grade'
Tommie Mabry's world changed when he was shot in the foot in high school on a day he chose to skip class.
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