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Jackson, Miss. (Y'all Politics) - A bill revising curriculum and funding requirements for the State’s nationally-recognized pre-K program passed the Mississippi Senate yesterday with overwhelming bipartisan support. First established in 2013, Early Learning Collaboratives (ELCs) provide grants to communities to set up, expand, support, and facilitate early childhood education programs for 4-year-olds. For the 2019-2020 school year, the Legislature provided $6.7 million for ELCs in 19 districts, which serve almost 3,000 students. There is broad support to expand the program this year. Senate Bill 2286, authored by Senator Brice Wiggins, would require ELCs to use an “evidence-based curriculum” demonstrating a significant effect on improving student outcomes. The legislation also would require individualized professional development plans for teachers and teacher assistants, [...]

Jackson, Miss. (Y'all Politics) - Entities receiving more than $5 million in state economic development tax incentives would be required to report job creation numbers, average wages, and other information to the public under a bill passed with the unanimous support of the Mississippi Senate yesterday. “As conservatives, we must account for every dollar taxpayers have entrusted us with. This includes the millions of dollars provided to entities to improve our economy in the form of loans, tax credits, or any other incentives,” Lieutenant Governor Delbert Hosemann said. “Taxpayers deserve information about how their money is being spent, and this bill provides some much needed sunshine.” Senate Bill 2563, the “Incentives Transparency for a Prosperous Mississippi Act,” builds on legislation [...]

Louisville, Miss. (Winston County Journal) - Autism impacts more than two million Americans. Each day, they face this developmental disability posing major social, communicative and behavioral challenges. National experts are addressing a March 27 conference at Mississippi College to explore autism issues. The program’s theme is “Growing and Thriving on the Spectrum.” The keynote speaker is psychology professor Kasee Stratton-Gadke of Mississippi State University. She is an internationally recognized children’s disabilities scholar. The researcher is known for her groundbreaking work with CHARGE Syndrome. Stratton-Gadke serves as director of MSU’s T.K. Martin Center for Technology and Disability. Opening in 1996, the center is part of the MSU College of Education on the Starkville campus. Other speakers include professors Sarah Bloom of [...]

Jackson, Miss. (Y'all Politics) - Legislation in the Senate would prevent public employers from requiring applicants to disclose whether or not they have been convicted of a felony crime on an application. This effort is otherwise known as “ban the box.” “I’ve been working on this piece of legislation for years now,” said bill author Sen. Tammy Witherspoon. “What it does is ban the box on applications that ask, ‘Have you ever been convicted of a felony?’” While it has not passed in prior sessions, this year Witherspoon said that support for the legislation has been across the board. When speaking with Lt. Governor Delbert Hosemann he also indicated he is in support of the bill. “I mean, I’m going to [...]

Louisville, Miss. (Winston County Journal) - Outstanding students and faculty members from 34 Mississippi public and private universities and colleges were honored at the annual HEADWAE program, held earlier this week in Jackson. Higher Education Appreciation Day—Working for Academic Excellence (HEADWAE) was established by legislative resolution to honor individual academic achievement and the overall contribution of the state’s public and private institutions of higher learning. Lieutenant Governor Delbert Hosemann spoke at the program alongside Senator Rita Parks, Chair, Senate Universities and Colleges Committee; Representative Mac Huddleston, Chair, House of Representatives Universities and Colleges Committee; Holly Spivey, Education Policy Advisor for Governor Tate Reeves; Dr. Alfred Rankins Jr., Commissioner of Higher Education and Dr. Andrea Mayfield, Executive Director of the Mississippi [...]

Tunica, Miss. (Mississippi Today) - Mississippi students soared on kindergarten readiness exams, third-grade reading “gate” tests, graduation rates and reading and math assessments, outperforming the nation. Carey Wright, state Superintendent of Education, said at a Mississippi Delta high school last week that the state could do even more with additional dollars from the federal government. Wright spoke to a group of middle and high school students in the Rosa Fort High School gymnasium — filled with colorful posters and handmade signs — to highlight the 2020 census count and its importance to youth and rural communities across the state, communities deemed “hard to count” populations, or areas likely to not have an accurate count. Other at-risk populations include low-income and [...]