Where do your legislators stand on public education? If you are unhappy with your legislators’ votes on education issues, you can do something about it! Tomorrow is the deadline to qualify as a candidate for the Mississippi Legislature. You must sign qualifying papers in your party headquarters by 5:00 p.m. Friday, March 1. Our children need …
Mississippi has a teacher shortage crisis. Educators are leaving the profession in droves, and too few young people are choosing teaching as a career. It is time for our legislators to make a real investment in our teachers. It is time for a meaningful pay raise for teachers and teacher assistants. Be aware that legislators are …
Teacher Pay Raise and Voucher Bills Need Your Attention Read More »
The Public Employees Retirement System (PERS) board of trustees will hold a special meeting Tuesday, February 12, 11:30 a.m., to discuss retirees’ ability to serve in the Mississippi Legislature without forfeiting their retirement benefits. Attorney General Jim Hood has issued a news release urging state employees and retirees to attend the meeting. We’ve heard from numerous retired educators …
State Retirees Urged to Attend Important PERS Board Meeting Read More »
A repealer is provision included in a statute that sets a date on which that law is repealed, or ceases to be in effect. This provision is used when the law is needed only for a certain period of time or to force the Legislature to revisit a law to evaluate its effectiveness, correct any …
Today, the PERS board voted to direct the PERS staff to amend their regulations to comply with the Attorney General opinion allowing state retirees to draw their state retirement pensions while serving in the Mississippi Legislature. PERS staff was further directed to ensure that the new regulation complies with federal tax law, does not jeopardize the health …
The Public Employees Retirement System (PERS) board of trustees will hold a special meeting Tuesday, February 12, 11:30 a.m., to discuss retirees’ ability to serve in the Mississippi Legislature without forfeiting their retirement benefits. Attorney General Jim Hood has issued a news release urging state employees and retirees to attend the meeting. We’ve heard from numerous retired educators …
State Retirees Urged to Attend Important PERS Board Meeting Read More »
Our children need your help! An amended version of SB 2675 passed the Senate Education Committee today and will now go to the full Senate for a floor vote. This bill originally called for a sweeping expansion of vouchers, but instead, what passed committee today is a provision to keep the current ESA voucher program running into …
RED ALERT: Voucher Extension Passes Senate Committee; Call Senators Read More »
If we want our legislators to cast votes that are in line with our priorities and values, we must let them know what our priorities and values are. If we expect them to vote for adequate school funding and strong standards, or against privatization efforts, we need to be sure that they understand that these …
A bill must go through a lengthy process in order to become a law. Step 1. The bill is first introduced in the House or Senate (depending on whether a representative or senator authored the bill) and then referred to a committee. Examples of committees are education, finance, judiciary, and appropriations, to name a few. …
The House and Senate have adjourned for the weekend and will return Monday afternoon. They have until Tuesday at 8:00 p.m. to pass the first round of bills out of committee. Any general bills not taken up by Tuesday will die without a vote. Please touch base with your legislators over the weekend and ask …
Stand Up for PUBLIC Schools, Say NO to Vouchers! Read More »
