ABOUT US
Our Story
Making a Difference since 2006
The Parents’ Campaign was founded by public school parents in 2006 to ensure that public school parents, educators, and supporters have a voice in the legislative and policy decisions that affect our children’s education and a means by which they can hold legislators and policy-makers accountable.
Our network of more than 64,000 Mississippians has been credited with numerous legislative and policy victories that benefit Mississippi children, teachers, and public schools. We hope you will join us!
Our Mission
To ensure a brighter future for Mississippi children by promoting better public schools through parent advocacy. We inform parents and public school supporters of legislation that affects our schools, help them identify and contact their own legislators, and report to them how their legislators vote on bills that determine the level of education offered their children. By giving public school advocates a means by which their voices can be heard, we are working together to change our state for the better.
Our vision
To engender a public education system that affords all students excellent public schools so that children can become what they dream.
OUR SUCCESSES
- Full funding of MAEP for FY2008
- Full funding of MAEP for FY2009 (reduced in mid-year budget cuts)
- Funding for dyslexia screening in schools
- Passage of components of the Quality Education Act of 2008
- Expanded salary increments for teachers with 25 to 35 years of experience (incremental increases ended at 25 years previously)
- Significant school accountability legislation and technical assistance for struggling schools
- Legislation supporting teacher mentoring
- Improved training for school board members
- Full funding of MAEP for FY2010 (reduced in mid-year budget cuts)
- Second phase of “step” salary increases for teachers with 25 to 35 years of experience
- Passage of the Children First Act of 2009 – accountability/school reform act
- Passage of legislation allowing school districts to use existing funds to offer voluntary early childhood education classes in their districts (no additional funding required)
- Restoration of $37-million that had been cut from the K-12 budget mid-year, including $34-million for the MAEP and full restoration of funds cut from the National Board Certification Program and the Chickasaw Cession interest payment
- Improvement in the Senate position on MAEP funding for FY2011 by $27-million
- Passage of alternate budget with additional $82-million in K12 funding intended to take effect if federal budget relief was forthcoming
- Protection of the integrity of the school year/instructional days
- Defeat of a Senate strike-all amendment that would have stripped $81-million from the K-12 funding bill
- Ultimately saved schools $50-million in funding – noted in Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, April 6, 2011
- Passage of a bill allowing parents of students in school districts that lose accreditation to request a legal transfer to an accredited district
- Passage of legislation providing for dual enrollment in high school completion courses and in a community college credential certificate or degree program, a move to improve Mississippi’s graduation rate and ensure that more students graduate from high school workplace-ready
- Defeat of a bill that would have provided state funding for an online preschool system run by pre-determined vendor with a poor track record of performance
- Passage of a charter school bill that focuses charters in low-performing districts and requires a track record of success
- Passage of two bills providing the first ever state funding for early childhood education
- $3-million for existing in-center coaching model – Mississippi Building Blocks
- $3-million for a new matching grant program
- Passage of legislation designed to raise the quality of teaching in Mississippi schools
- Raises standards for teacher licensure
- Provides scholarships for high achieving students to enter teacher education
- Initiates a pilot program for teacher merit pay
- Defeat of voucher bills that would have diverted taxpayer dollars from public schools to private schools
- Passage of a teacher pay raise bill to provide an across-the-board raise of $2,500 over two years
- Defeat of corporate tax cuts that would have reduced state revenue and made it even harder to fully fund K-12 education
- Defeat of a bill that would have revised the “at-risk” student definition in the MAEP formula, thereby reducing the overall state funding requirement for students in poverty
- $106-million in increased funding for the Mississippi Adequate Education Program
- Defeat of a bill that would have allowed any student to cross district lines within a county to attend a charter school
- Passage of a bill that provides for all school superintendents to be appointed, rather than elected, beginning January 2019
- Defeat of broad voucher bills that would have shifted public school dollars to unaccountable private, for-profit, virtual, and home schools
- Defeat of bills that would have made educators and school board members subject to misdemeanor convictions or fines for lobbying legislators regarding education policy
- Defeat of charter school proposals that would have allowed
- Charters to locate in C districts without local board approval
- Students in A and B districts to cross district lines to attend charter schools
- Defeat of two “dummy” MAEP rewrite bills
- Defeat of two bills and removal of an amendment that would have broadened existing voucher provisions and diverted more public funds to pay tuition at private schools
- Defeat of four bills that would have provided tax credit and tax deduction scholarships (vouchers) to pay tuition at private schools
- Defeat of a bill that would have allowed virtual schools
- Defeat of two bills that would have made school boards more susceptible to takeover by privatization forces
- Defeat of a bill that would have limited local school boards’ authority to increase millage
- Defeat of a bill that would have shortened the school year
- $12.8-million increase in the K-12 appropriation, including $2.5-million boost for pre-k
- Defeat of two broad voucher bills that would have diverted public funds to pay tuition at private schools
- Defeat of an MAEP rewrite bill that would have reduced the amount of school funding called for in state law
- Defeat of bills that would have made school boards more susceptible to takeover by privatization forces
- Defeat of three bills that would have provided tax credit and tax deduction scholarships (vouchers) to pay tuition at private schools
- $31.4-million increase in the K-12 appropriation
- Passage of a bill providing a $1,500 salary increase to teachers and assistant teachers
- Defeat of nine voucher bills that would have diverted public funds to pay tuition at private schools
- Defeat of six bills that would have made school boards more susceptible to takeover by privatization forces
- Defeat of five bills that would have provided tax credit and tax deduction scholarships (vouchers) to pay tuition at private schools
- Addition of accountability measures and elimination of online school loophole in private school voucher program
- Increase in pre-k funding
- Passage of bill to alleviate teacher shortage
- Passage of pandemic-related measures, including
- Paid leave for teachers and school employees during a state of emergency
- Affirmation of legislative authority to appropriate federal CARES Act funds
- $200-million in CARES Act funds for distance learning and broadband access
- Defeat of bill limiting local control and school board authority
- Defeat of seven bills using public funds to pay tuition at private schools
- $102-million increase in public school funding
- $1,000 teacher and assistant teacher pay raise
- Increased teacher supply funds
- School loan repayment for new teachers
- Better teacher licensure reciprocity
- Doubled pre-k investment
- Improved focus on dyslexia services
- $245-million new investment in teacher salaries
- $5,140 average pay raise in newly revised salary schedule for licensed teachers
- $2,000 across the board pay raise for assistant teachers
- $28-million in new funding for pre-k programs
- 20% increase in teacher supply funds
- Defeat of bill using public funds for private school students to attend unaccountable virtual schools
- Defeat of vendor bill providing home-based virtual school program for preschoolers2023
- $117-million increase in public school funding
- Codification of pre-k per student funding: $2,500 for full-day and $1,250 for half-day programs
- Defeat of numerous harmful bills, including legislation to eliminate state income tax, weaken school immunization requirements, and impose significant bureaucratic burdens on classroom teachers
- $117-million increase in public school funding
- Codification of pre-k per student funding: $2,500 for full-day and $1,250 for half-day programs
- Defeat of numerous harmful bills, including legislation to eliminate state income tax, weaken school immunization requirements, and impose significant bureaucratic burdens on classroom teachers
