FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NEWS RELEASE

CONTACT: BRIAN PERRY (601) 984-3130 or 769-798-1546

brian@haleybarbour.com

GOVERNOR BARBOUR DISCUSSES

EDUCATION AGENDA WITH

SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS

Governor Barbour discusses his agenda for improving education with the Mississippi Association of School Administrators

 

JACKSON (October 17, 2007) - Today, Governor Haley Barbour shared his agenda for improving education with the Mississippi Association of School Administrators at their Annual Fall Conference in Jackson. 

Governor Barbour presents this agenda in his recently released "Agenda for Mississippi Future" in which he says, "Public education is the number one economic development issue in our state, and it is the number one quality of life issue; so education must be the top priority of state government.  I am proud of the record funding increases for all levels of education since I've been Governor."

  • K-12 funding increased by $529 million, the largest increase in K-12 funding under any Governor in state history, while making reforms to get better results for the money we spend.  State support for community colleges is up 52%, including doubling state support for job training programs, and state support for our universities is up 32%.
  • Our teachers are earning more than ever after a 20% pay raise during the last four years. 
  • Per student spending in our public schools is more than $8,000, a 22% increase during the Barbour Administration.

Governor Barbour's "Agenda for Mississippi's Future" outlines his blueprint for building on the accomplishments of the past four years to further improve education:

 

  1. Keep funding the MAEP formula at 100% every year to help local school districts while continuing to support stable funding increases for our universities and community colleges.
  2. To keep our best teachers, increase the salaries of teachers with more than 25 years of experience. 
  3. Build on the more than 20% increase in teacher pay in Governor Barbour's first term by approving more teacher pay raises that combine across the board increases with additional pay for performance raises.
  4. To help kids at-risk of not succeeding, screen every first grader for dyslexia and other learning disabilities; then fund the programs necessary to help dyslexic and other kids learn to read.
  5. To help our new teachers manage classroom discipline, provide a seasoned mentor for new middle school teachers.
  6. Support the state superintendent's proposal to redesign high school to make it more relevant to kids who are not on a college path thereby reducing the dropout rate.
  7. To help get our kids ready to learn, we need to better utilize the existing early childhood education programs that already serve 80% of our four year olds by providing financial incentives for them to expand and improve their educational content.

 

Governor Barbour discusses the education reform accomplishments of his first term in his agenda, "Increasing funding is important, but we also have to reform education so we can get better results for the money we spend.  I am pleased the Legislature overwhelmingly approved many of the proposals first set out in 'Haley's Plan.'  Those proposals were refined through a collaborative, participatory process, which included more than 250 classroom teachers, to focus on the fundamentals of improving student achievement.  The result was the 'UpGrade' Education reform package."

* For the first time, local school leaders are free to make innovative decisions about how to run their schools without first seeking approval from officials in Jackson.

* For the first time, every student now has the opportunity to earn college credit in high school through either dual enrollment programs, Advanced Placement classes, or the Mississippi Virtual Public School.

* For the first time, Mississippi is honestly acknowledging our very high dropout rate and is implementing plans to address it.

* For the first time, the state is directing resources through private child care providers to ensure that our children are ready to learn by kindergarten. 

Governor Barbour also notes in his agenda the health component in educating students, "To promote wellness where we learn, we proposed and the Legislature passed the 'Mississippi Healthy Students Act' this year, which requires 150 minutes of physical activity per week and 45 minutes of health education instruction for K-8th grade students. After all, healthy kids have fewer discipline problems and are more interested in learning."

In coming days, Governor Barbour will discuss other aspects of his "Agenda For Mississippi's Future."  The entire policy plan can be viewed at www.haleybarbour.com/future.html

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