The Mississippi Department of Education is requesting public comments on two policies: (1) additional revisions to the Mississippi Kindergarten Guidelines and (2) a new policy governing the response to requests for student records. The public comments that were submitted in response to MDE’s initial revisions to the kindergarten guidelines and the additional changes made in response to those
The Mississippi Department of Education has announced a series of regional literacy meetings to provide families of public school students in kindergarten through grade 3 an overview of assessments and other requirements associated with the Literacy-Based Promotion Act, often referred to as the third-grade reading gate. The meetings will focus on practical strategies families can use to
Literacy Meetings for K-3 Families Announced by MDE Read More »
The Mississippi Department of Education has released the results of the 2025-2026 state assessments. A key takeaway is that school districts across the state have done yeoman’s work to maintain the high rates of achievement that were attained post-COVID with the aid of $2.5-billion in federal pandemic relief funding. Our public schools’ extraordinarily good use of
State Assessment Results Announced Read More »
Last week, the House Select Committee on Consolidation met to hear from superintendents who led school districts through mergers. Former superintendents Dr. Teresa Jackson and Mr. John Ellison provided insight on the legislatively-mandated consolidations that formed what are now the Winona-Montgomery Consolidated School District (merged Winona Municipal Separate School District and Montgomery County School District) and the
House Consolidation Committee Hears from Superintendents Read More »
The Mississippi Department of Education is requesting public comment on its proposed revisions to two sets of guidelines, the Mississippi Kindergarten Guidelines and the Home School Guidelines. The deadline for submitting public comments on either is 5:00 p.m. on August 23, 2026. The proposed changes to the Kindergarten Guidelines, which are rather extensive, include significantly more detailed standards for
MDE Seeks Public Comment on New Kindergarten and Homeschool Guidelines Read More »
The Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) reports that, for the third year in a row, the Mississippi Legislature has fully funded the Mississippi Student Funding Formula (MSFF). Included in the 2026-2027 school district allocations is a $2,000 pay raise for teachers and assistant teachers. The additional one-time $2,000 salary supplement for special education teachers is not reflected
Your School District’s Funding, More Acclaim for Mississippi Public Schools Read More »
This afternoon, the Senate amended HB 1395 to include another teacher pay raise, this one a $6,000 total raise spread over three years for certified teachers (a $2,000 increase in each year). Special education teachers who are teaching special education in a public school would get an additional $3,000 spread over those same three years ($9,000
Senate Passes Another Teacher Pay Raise Read More »
Today was the deadline for House bills to pass Senate committees and for Senate bills to pass House committees. Very few of the bills we are following made it out alive. This feels like a repeat of last year’s session, in which the House killed the Senate bills and the Senate killed the House bills. BUT, there
A Deadly Deadline Day Read More »
Today was the deadline for bills to pass the chamber in which the bill originated. See below the fate of the bills we are following. BILLS WE OPPOSE – Ask legislators to VOTE NO HB 1234 – School accountability dashboard – Creates enormous, unnecessary, and costly administrative tasks for public schools, mandating new accountability “dashboards” on which
Some Harmful, Some Helpful Education Bills – Please Call Read More »
The House of Representatives has passed unanimously a $5,000 across-the-board teacher pay raise and an additional $3,000 increase for special education teachers who are teaching in the special education field in a public school. See the vote. Included in that bill (HB 1126) are numerous provisions unrelated to teacher salaries, provisions we believe should be dealt with in
Teacher Pay Raise Passes Full House Read More »
