Today was a deadline day in the Mississippi Legislature, and we have good news!
HB 989, the legislative power grab that would have limited school districts’ local control, died on the House calendar. A bipartisan effort to defeat this bill, led in part by newly-elected representatives, resulted in HB 989not even being brought up for a floor vote. It is a great example of how the recent election of pro-public education legislators has reaped benefits for our public school children.
Please join us in thanking our representatives for killing this harmful bill!
Here’s where we stand on the other bills we are following…the bills below now will go to committees in the opposite chamber. We will likely need your help again, so please stay tuned.
Passed the House, going to the Senate:
- HB 994 – Teacher Shortage – VOTE YES – Candidates can enter college and university teacher preparation programs with a 21 ACT score or a 2.75 GPA on prior college coursework or a qualifying score on PRAXIS Core Academic Skills for Educators.
- HB 1139 – Community Schools – VOTE YES – Adds Community Schools as an option in Districts of Innovation. Read more about community schools on the Legislative Priorities page of our web site.
Passed the Senate, going to the House:
- SB 2001 – Teacher Pay Raise – VOTE YES – Brings starting teacher pay to $37,000 for teachers with 0 to 2 years’ experience; $1,000 raise for all other certified teachers and assistant teachers.
- SB 2286 – Expand Early Learning Collaboratives – VOTE YES – Increases per-student state funding for Early Learning Collaboratives to $2,500 for full-day and $1,250 for half-day; sets goal to serve 25% of 4-year-olds by 2022-2023 school year; strengthens curriculum.
- SB 2511 – Teacher Shortage – VOTE YES – Candidates can enter college and university teacher preparation programs with a 21 ACT score or a 3.0 GPA on prior college coursework or a qualifying score on PRAXIS Core Academic Skills for Educators.
- SB 2594 – ESA Voucher Program – THE PARENTS’ CAMPAIGN HAS NO POSITION ON THE BILL AS IT PASSED THE SENATE; VOTE NO ON ANY AMENDMENT TO BROADEN CURRENT LANGUAGE – Adds accountability measures for ESA voucher program; eliminates online schools from eligibility; requires that private voucher schools provide special education services for participating students.
We at The Parents’ Campaign are thinking about students, parents, teachers, and administrators as they struggle to cope with the uncertainty and upheaval associated with the coronavirus. These are tumultuous times. We will all need to be cautious and patient.
Thank you for your impressive work so far this session! We are exceedingly proud to stand with you in support of our children and our public schools. You are terrific. Your voices are powerful. And together, we’ve got this!
