Wow! You folks are engaged – and that’s terrific.
We asked you to send us the questions you want to ask candidates ahead of the November election, and you responded in typical “we want what’s best for our children” fashion. Rest assured that parents and teachers all across Mississippi are paying attention to the 2015 Election, and they want to know where the candidates stand on issues that affect Mississippi public school students.
Our job was to whittle down the overwhelming response into a questionnaire of reasonable length that represents the most frequently cited concerns of our members. We did that, and the questionnaire was sent to all candidates for the Mississippi House and Senate, as well as those for pertinent statewide offices, last Friday. Their responses will be posted to our web site, and we will share those responses with you. Watch for an email with that information in the coming weeks.
Attention, recently retired educators!
If you are retiring this year, we want you to stick with us! Mississippi children continue to need your voice and support. Please reply to this email and send us your personal email address so we can keep you abreast of what’s happening in the world of education legislation. Even out of the classroom, you can continue to be a hero to Mississippi children by volunteering just a few minutes of your time. Email Julie Winckler in our office; she’ll tell you about the myriad ways you can get involved in the work of The Parents’ Campaign.
42 for Better Schools
The Mississippi Secretary of State’s office has scheduled seven public forums to enable voters to learn more about Initiative 42, the citizen-proposed constitutional amendment requiring the state to provide and fund an adequate education for our children, and the alternative initiative passed by the Legislature earlier this year in an effort to thwart the people’s amendment. Each side will have the opportunity to present its case, and the public will be allowed to comment. Click here to find the date of a forum near you.
Summer reading prevents the “summer slide”
The Mississippi Department of Education is partnering with Miss Mississippi Jasmine Murray to promote summer reading in hopes of preventing the “summer slide” experienced by many students. Children who do not read over the summer can lose up to three months of reading achievement, causing them to fall behind and putting young students at risk of being retained at the end of third grade. Click here to read more.
I hope your summer is off to a great start! Please be sure to watch your email inbox for important updates as we move toward the August primary and November general elections. This is a critical time for Mississippi children and their public schools. We are going to need your help to ensure that we elect legislators who are committed to ensuring strong public schools for all Mississippi children. Stay tuned, and spread the word!
