Both the House and Senate now have bills that include a “New Start School” amendment that could have a far-reaching impact on good schools in any district across the state. The “New Start” provision stipulates that a school rated F has one year to move to at least a D rating, then the school must move […]
“New Start” Amendment Threatens Good Schools Read More »
In a late afternoon meeting, the Senate Education Chairman proposed amendments to HB 890 that included language from a number of bills, a surprise move that left committee members scrambling to decipher the tremendous omnibus bill. The amendment includes the following: Charter Schools · Contains the for-profit loophole, allowing for-profits to manage charter schools · Gives A & B districts
HB 890 – Amended by Senate Ed Committee Read More »
This is a great day for Mississippi children! Governor Barbour held a signing ceremony at the Capitol to celebrate his signing into law The Children First Act of 2009. This landmark piece of legislation moves us a giant step toward ensuring that every Mississippi child has access to excellent public schools. Members of The Parents’
Governor Barbour Signs Children First Act of 2009 Read More »
A “strike-all” amendment strikes, or removes, all of the language in a bill and replaces it with new language. Because all of the bill’s language is changed with a strike-all amendment, the intent of the bill is, in some cases, altered completely, though the bill retains its original number and often its title. Typically, a
Strike-all Amendment Read More »
Mississippi Achievement Improving Faster than U.S. Average There is a misconception that schools in the United States, and particularly in Mississippi, have not improved in recent years. In fact, schools in the U.S. have made steady improvement, and Mississippi’s improvement in student achievement has outpaced the national average. A recent Harvard study ranked Mississippi 13th in the nation
The Truth About Student Achievement And What Top-performing Countries Do that We Don’t Read More »
Mississippi Building Blocks (MBB) provides a cost-effective way to address the lack of school readiness that plagues so many of our children and which contributes heavily to Mississippi’s low ranking in student achievement. Better still, it does so without creating an additional bureaucracy or adding another year of public school. MBB works within the existing
Mississippi Should Invest in Mississippi Building Blocks Read More »
Charter school lobbyists are having a lot of influence in Mississippi’s charter school debate. The following are some of those representing the charter school, for-profit and virtual school lobby. Butler Snow Advisory Group has several of its lobbyists assigned to clients with a vested interest in charter school legislation, including the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, which pushes
Charter School Lobbyists in Mississippi Read More »
I’ve often heard posed the question, “If charter schools are so great, why not make all public schools charter schools?” Here’s the answer… Traditional public schools are required to educate any child who lives within the district walks through the schoolhouse door. While charter schools are prohibited from discriminating based upon race, religion, etc., they can –
Why can’t all public schools be charter schools? Read More »
At a December meeting of the House and Senate Education Committees, members heard presentations on two important reform measures: charter schools and a third-grade reading initiative. Charter School Bill Committee members were presented with a description of a charter school bill being proposed by Senate Education Chairman Gray Tollison. The bill, as presented, contains a
House and Senate Education Committees Hear Reform Plans Read More »
At a December 12, 2012 joint meeting of the House and Senate Education Committees, members heard a description of a charter school bill proposed by Senate Education Chairman Gray Tollison. The bill, as presented, contains a number of provisions that are extremely worrisome. Similar provisions have contributed to a disproportionate number of charter school failures
House & Senate Ed Committee Members Presented Charter Bill Read More »
