House of Representatives District 87: Candidate Q&A
Ricardo Mussiett (defeated in primary)
1. What is your experience with K-12 public schools, personally and/or with your children or family? Four children in Hattiesburg Public Schools and Forrest County Schools.
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. Yes. I will vote for the increase of teacher salaries to match the schools in surrounding states.
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? To vote for better education for the state.
4. Will you oppose vouchers that send taxpayer dollars to private schools, religious schools, home schools, or virtual schools? Why or why not? No. I will not oppose because it will improve education for those children.
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 public school special education services should be fully funded every year? (Special education has been underfunded by the state annually since 2008.) If yes, how will you accomplish full funding? If no, explain why. Yes.
7. Do you agree that Mississippi should provide high-quality early childhood education statewide? Yes.
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? I do not know at this time.
9. Do you support raising teacher salaries at least to the level of our neighboring states and raising pay for teacher assistants? Yes.
10. Do you agree that retired educators (and other retired state employees) should be able to draw their state retirement while serving in the Legislature? Yes.
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. Other legislators, committees on education.
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 will vote my conscience instead of the pressure from lobbyists and other legislators.
Joseph “Bubba” Tubb (defeated in primary runoff)
1. What is your experience with K-12 public schools, personally and/or with your children or family? My oldest son graduated from Clinton High School and my youngest is in the 6th Grade at the Middle School in Oak Grove.
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. Education is such a key component to the Livelihood of our State. I believe the Teachers were done a disservice this year with the small raise received. When I get up to Jackson I feel very sure I can find the money to make sure we bring every Teacher’s pay level to at least our neighboring states. I would agree to fully funding this. Being honest there are areas in our system that need to be viewed from a business approach. Being a businessperson my promise to you is I will work hard to find ways to better spend the dollars already being received before I will commit to asking the taxpayers for any additional to fully fund.
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? I will always look for good common sense ways to increase services for those in need but I will also look for ways of cutting Government services in those areas not providing a return on investment.
4. Will you oppose vouchers that send taxpayer dollars to private schools, religious schools, home schools, or virtual schools? Why or why not? I will not if it makes common sense. There are areas in the State with failing Public Schools and I feel those kids deserve another option if possible.
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. I believe every child should have the right to learn. My question would be to ask what are the reasons it has not been funded since 2008? Without this knowledge I will not commit either way.
7. Do you agree that Mississippi should provide high quality early childhood education statewide? Yes
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? My Grand Dad Jackson M Tubb served as Mississippi’s Superintendent of Education from 1945-1968. To my knowledge he served longer than anyone has held the office. I say this to say I know he faced the same issues we are facing today. Stress, poverty, learning disorders, psychological problems I feel are no different today than when my Grand Dad was serving. The only difference is there is a much bigger light being shown on it. The biggest obstacle that no legislation can solve is the lack of good parenting and parent involvement in their kids’ schooling. Discipline used to given at home as well as in the schools and the parents ALWAYS backed up the School and the Teachers. My child is in 6th grade and hardly ever brings home homework because they do it all at school I understand because of the growing number of parents unwilling to make sure their kids get it done. We have gotten so tied up in political correctness we have lost this somewhere along the way. Putting Prayer back in school may be a good start. 🙂
9. Do you support raising teacher salaries at least to the level of our neighboring states and raising pay for teacher assistants? Yes Yes Yes
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. If they run a campaign and win I cannot see why someone would be against it. I have a retired state employee running against me.
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. Absolutely. I have already met with Tess Smith of Lamar County and plan to meet with Brian Freeman of Forrest County hopefully next week to ask their needs and also to build our future relationship so I may reach out for their guidance. I also have many many retired and active teacher friends that will be advising me as well.
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 am a business person. My promise to you is I will always do what is best for my District 87 but also what is best for the State of Mississippi.
