MS Legislature

State leaders are using a divide and conquer strategy, pitting universities and community colleges against K-12 in their attempt to defeat Initiative 42. Why? So they can continue, undeterred, to cater to the lobbyists pushing for corporate tax breaks and privatization of public education. Here’s what Initiative 42 opponents hope you’ll forget: Community college funding […]

In the next 10 days, the state election commission must decide if the November ballot will include Initiative 42 wording that was manipulated by legislative leaders to reflect the talking points of the opposition. State law requires the Mississippi Legislative Budget Office (LBO) to produce a fiscal analysis of a citizen-sponsored ballot initiative to tell

The primary election was a mixed bag for Mississippi children. There were some big wins, with pro-public school candidates prevailing over privatizers. In other races, out-of-state PAC money from Washington D.C. defeated staunch public school supporters. The lesson for November is clear. If we want strong public schools in Mississippi, we are going to have to

We’ve got six more days to seal the deal on a big win for public schools in the August 4 primary election. The game plan is simple: Make sure you know who the education-friendly candidates are, tell everyone you know, and vote next Tuesday! If you have a contested primary race in your district, here’s what we

When it comes to the future of public education, the stakes are high in the August 4 primary election (see more below).  We need your help to win the day for our children – and it will only take a few minutes of your time… Each week between now and the primary election, we will ask you to

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

The 2015 Regular Session of the Mississippi Legislature has ended. The Senate completed its work yesterday and the House did so this morning. I cannot thank you enough for your tireless work on behalf of Mississippi children. You have been amazing! Here is an update of some of the legislation we tracked during the session… Passed: K-12 Funding – HB

The House and Senate have taken final action on one of the bills we have been watching. Several remain on the calendar; the deadline for an initial vote is tomorrow. Still awaiting action Charter Schools – SB 2300. The conference report would allow open enrollment within counties. This provision would permit students, even those in

The conference report for SB 2300 has added a provision to allow students to cross district lines to attend charter schools. Though the location of charter schools remains limited to school districts that are underperforming, this provision would allow students in any district, including those rated A, B, or C, to cross district lines within a county to