Tuesday, Senate Education Committee members heard from a variety of speakers, including a panel of local school district superintendents. All shared impressive information about the innovative programs and services being provided students in their districts, for which committee members expressed deep appreciation.
Superintendents reminded the senators that it is Mississippi’s public school teachers who are responsible for the remarkable escalation in student achievement that is referred to nationwide as the Mississippi Miracle – and that it was achieved without vouchers or private school choice programs. If that progress is to continue, they warned, school districts must be able to recruit and retain high-quality, certified teachers, and that will require better pay for teachers and a fix for the PERS state retirement system.
Scott County School District Superintendent Alan Lumpkin urged the Senate to ensure that a teacher pay raise bill be allowed to stand on its own merits, something that public school teachers deserve, rather than being added to a bill with controversial school choice measures. He described the extraordinary measures implemented by teachers in districts with high populations of students who are not proficient in English. Many of these educators not only are teaching their subject areas, but the English language, as well, and he asked that legislators consider a state-funded supplement for teachers at schools with a high percentage of English Learner students.
Jackson Public Schools Superintendent Errick Greene presented a plethora of innovative programs being offered in his district, such as the Career Development Center, which serves students from all JPS high schools. The center provides 23 career pathway programs offering industrial certifications and work-based learning, some of which involve virtual reality technology, in areas including electrical, plumbing, logistics, culinary, automotive, and more. Dr. Greene also told of challenges presented when homeschooled students enter public schools in middle grades, often several years behind due to Mississippi’s unregulated homeschools. Public schools then are responsible for bringing those students to proficiency for the State Accountability System.
Greene County School District Superintendent Charles Breland explained unique challenges facing rural schools in sparsely populated areas, which must do more with less due to a low ad valorem tax base and often find it difficult to recruit teachers to their districts. He asked that legislators consider possible unintended consequences of school choice measures, including the effect on student achievement and graduation rates if extracurricular activities and sports are shifted away from the public school system. For many students, he said, “Friday night lights are the reason to show up for Monday morning math.”
Oxford School District Superintendent Bradley Roberson pointed out the fallacy in the voucher lobby’s claim that school choice would improve all schools by introducing competition. “Public schools aren’t afraid of competition,” Roberson assured the audience. “Public school educators are some of the most competitive, resilient, and innovative people I know. True competition only exists when everyone plays by the same rules; our private school friends have made it clear they have no interest in doing that. And why would they? They get to choose the students they serve, they set their own admission standards, and they operate without accountability for student outcomes.”
It appeared that some of the legislators present were unaware of – and pleasantly surprised by – the many and varied innovative programs embedded in our public schools, programs that offer innumerable choices and pathways for public school students.
I hope you will take a listen to what these four superintendents had to say on Tuesday. You can hear it toward the end of the six-hour meeting at the 5:10:00 mark. I think you, too, will be impressed by and exceedingly proud of all the ways that our public schools are excellent stewards of our public funds and our children’s futures. Not just a few, chosen students. As Superintendent Roberson said, “We open our doors to every child every day, regardless of background, income, ability, or circumstance. That’s not a weakness…that’s a promise.”
I am grateful for our public school educators who are doing yeoman’s work every day to ensure a brighter future for our children and our state. And I am grateful that they have you fighting to protect the public schools that are the lifeblood of our communities and our hope for a better tomorrow. Together, we’ve got this!
Nancy Loome
