House of Representatives District 110: Candidate Q&A
Candidates for this office were offered a questionnaire on education issues by The Parents’ Campaign. See below for responses received to date.
Jeramey D. Anderson (Incumbent) UNOPPOSED
1. What is your experience with K-12 public schools, personally and/or with your children or family? Public School Graduate, 2010. I have two Godsons in public school.
2. Do you agree that the Mississippi Adequate Education Program (MAEP) should be fully funded every year? If yes, what actions will you take to ensure full funding? If no, explain why. Absolutely, I have continued to draft and support legislation to increase funding for MAEP.
3. What will you do to ensure state revenue that is sufficient to provide all of the services Mississippi’s citizens need to lead productive lives? Continue to push for the repeal of corporate tax cuts and support the re-appropriation of those funds to vital services to Mississippians like public education, expanded health care, state employees, state educational assistance and low income assistance.
4. Will you oppose vouchers that send taxpayer dollars to private schools, religious schools, home schools, or virtual schools? Why or why not? Absolutely, I continue to fight against this practice. Public dollars, public schools.
5. Do you agree that all K-12 schools that receive taxpayer dollars, including private voucher schools, should be accountable to taxpayers for the quality of education they provide, using the same accountability measures as public schools? Yes.
6. Public schools serve the vast majority of Mississippi students with disabilities. Do you agree that special education services in public schools should be fully funded every year? (Special education has been underfunded by the state every year since 2008.) If yes, how will you accomplish full funding? If no, explain why. Yes, by making sure during budget negotiations special education is a high priority.
7. Do you agree that Mississippi should provide high quality early childhood education statewide? Absolutely.
8. The nation’s top teachers say that the greatest barriers to school success for K-12 students are family stress, poverty, and learning and psychological problems. What steps do you believe legislators should take to alleviate these obstacles for Mississippi children? Better distribution of resources across the state instead of continuing to divert resources to the same areas. This includes but not limited to job creation and health counselors.
9. Do you support raising teacher salaries at least to the level of our neighboring states and raising pay for teacher assistants? Yes. I am on record for supporting this for the last seven years.
10. Do you agree that retired educators (and other retired state employees) should be able to draw their retirement while serving in the Legislature? Yes. We need more educators in the Legislature.
11. Legislators have little or no staff to help them understand the many bills they must consider. Before introducing or supporting a bill that could affect public education, will you commit to seeking input from teachers, principals, superintendents, and parents of public school students in your district? Who will be advising you on education policies? Yes, that is my current practice.
12. Legislators receive tremendous pressure from the leaders of their chamber (House or Senate), state and party leaders, and corporate lobbyists, to vote in ways that may contradict the will of their constituents and harm their communities. How will you respond to this pressure? I represent the people of Mississippi’s 110th House District. I am their only lobbyist, hired by them, accountable to them and only them.
