Jackson Jambalaya

OK...spill the beans? which of the FIVE switched to YES votes and which ones stayed their course of NO?

A sad day for the students and parents of Mississippi. A good day for the teacher's unions, powers-that-be in the school boards, and all wanting to keep the general population of our current students stupid (and voting Democrat). Congratulations.

Thank God!

Just heard someone say --Mississippi is "a third world state." It defies all decency and logic that some want to keep us that way. What in the hay is going on here? You know it come from the pit- of that you can be certain! Those who are keeping these students from learning to build their own nests have a very high Judge to answer to and their day is coming.

Now if we could just get a measure passed to raise the pay of our superintendents and fully fund MAEP we will see some real progress. We're not going to get a first class education until we start paying first class prices.

I remain unclear why creating a separate school system is preferable to reforming the existing system, but probably I missed that comment thread.

... In unrelated news, what was the GOP up to making Hob Bryan a committee chair? I am too ignorant of the procedural niceties to know why that was considered necessary. Not that I'm complaining - just puzzled.

Just heard someone say --Mississippi is "a third world state." It defies all decency and logic that some want to keep us that way. What in the hay is going on here? You know it come from the pit- of that you can be certain! Those who are keeping these students from learning to build their own nests have a very high Judge to answer to and their day is coming.

Yeah but we don't need more money for the Charters to teach them right the first time. Public schools have one mantra and it is Need More Money always. We have thrown money down the black hole of public education long enough . If we had had that money to do something that was productive we would not have our entire state infrastructure falling apart . But you took that money in the past and fraudulently did not live up to your end of the contract. I would never trust you again. Fool me once......

Tom Weathersby and Wanda Jennings have never been conservatives. What a shame Republicans keep electing them. Rankin and DeSoto Counties deserve better!

Weathersby and Jennings are from counties that have outstanding schools already. They and their constituents do not want to ruin their well-performing schools by injecting charter schools where they are not needed. The lesson learned from this year's charter school fight is that the pro charter school advocates have to find a way to enact charter schools while shielding their effects on existing high performing schools (note I said SCHOOLS, not districts). This wont be a difficult challenge for between the sessions.

The bottom line is that the pro-charter school lobby should have pushed for charter schools in the low performing school districts only. School districts that are high performing are not going to allow charter schools in their districts and dilute their resources.

@1:34; if you have a free minute or two, can you support your claim that this is a good day 'for the teacher's unions'? What state do you think this is? "Teacher's Unions" in this state have ZERO power, no collective bargaining ability, no ability to strike, no such thing as tenure.... What the hell do you think you're talking about?

The Charter School fight's NOT over. The Senate should add the entire language of their charter school bill to a measure that the House has already passed, pass it, then shove it back down the House's throat. House members are grumbling about the Senate "not being conservative enough." Well, get ready, House. Don't let the weak, greedy, gutless cowards from DeSoto County deprive Mississippi's children of getting the education they deserve.

David HamptonCL column today- Wait another Year for Charters. How many do we lose in that year Mr.Hampton - just human lives? If bill too broad how easy to narrow the focus to start with.

Hampton and Peggy don't give a damn about the students. All they care about are the righteousness of their positions. Jackson's white "progressives" are unmitigated frauds.

Pat Nelson (Desoto County) is a member of the Education Committee. Mr Nelson's wife is the spokesperson for the Desoto school system. The Desoto school superintendent has lobbied against the charter schools bill. Does this create a conflict of interest for Pat Nelson to cast his vote as a member do this committee? Just wondering.....

Any reason my post was not accepted?

David Hampton lives one block away from the homes on the high dollar block of Crane Blvd.

He is one of those people who walk their dogs in order to conveniently allow their canine friends the opportunity to crap on other people's yards. Everybody knows the type.

Dave frequently walks his dog on Crane between Meadowbrook and Old Canton.

His dog is NEVER allowed to shit on William Winter or Haley Fisackerly's yards.

FACT.

Note to 2:07 PM :
( and your subsequent
encore post at 2:20 PM ) .

You must be new to our State.

We have been 3rd world since
1865.

Check out John Stossel special on Fox Nwes, STIPID IN AMERICA. If you agree with this send it to all of Mississippi's legislators.

This legislation too important to have been written wrong . Would it be common sense to think the entire state school system become Charter in an inkling and that any district with top evaluations would chuck it for something else? Not broken don't fix it pretty much ingrained in every adult Mississippian's mind .Not sure how this very important item escaped the bill writers. Was this bill written on the drive up to the Capitol on a clip board? Or by a bunch of 5th graders? Costly error/ something so vital to so many - badly botched. Please get it right!

1:01 you need to read the bill. It didn't include the top 3 levels of schools. Star,high performing and successful school districts cannot have a charter school in them. Sad also that "successful" schools in Mississippi are what other states call average like a C in school.
You are right this legislation is to important and the selfishness of certain legislators and the state board of education, superintendent assoc and the Nancy Loomatics has once again placed Mississippi and its children at the bottom. Way to go Desoto Countians our children thank you!!

Everyone's worried about the students stuck in low performing schools who want to do better. They're not the problem - motivated students with supportive parents will find a way, even in a lousy environment. The problem is the student who doesn't care and is just waiting around to be old enough to drop out. The only way that child can be educated is to separate him from the others, and charter schools are a way to do that. The best way? Maybe not, but we have to start somewhere. We already have a system that has produced generation after generation of poor and unskilled men and women who depend upon the rest of us for their livelihoods, so let's try something else.

By the way, is Rep. Weathersby from Rankin County related to the school superintendent?

A Parents' Campaign and Jackson Parents for Public Schools zealot who lives in Fondren tried to tell me yesterday that St. Andrews, JA and Prep would all convert to charter schools if the legislation passed. Then she said that taxpayers would be paying for these exclusive private schools.

After hearing all that garbage I told her the she really needed to stop abusing drugs and alcohol.

She also has an Obama bumper sticker on her car.

St. Andrews, JA and Prep would all convert to charter schools if the legislation passed.

Ha ha ha........good one.

"St. Andrews, JA and Prep would all convert to charter schools if the legislation passed."

That doesn't seem likely, but even if it did, so what? The role of public education (and the associated taxes most of us pay for it) is the EDUCATE CHILDREN. It is not to support teachers unions, superfluous superintendents, or nepotism in school districts. The money is for the education of children. It doesn't matter where they get that education, as long as they get it. All this would do is give more parents the option of educating their children in a school with an enviable record for student achievement.

Why would liberals want to deprive some child of that chance for success? It's all about what's good for the children, isn't it? ;-)


PS Those who lump Harvard and Phoenix together because they are neither is a part of a state agency are a great part of why this state has been "third world since 1865" (now THAT would look great on the license plates!). Who was the cracker politician who said something like "We don't need no Harvards down here"? It came up in another thread a week or two ago.

Why don't people see DeSoto, Rankin and Oxford (all w/ Supes/Reps opposed to charters) as models for how MS public school systems w/out charters can work well? Seems like they've found out how to be successful without charters. A lot of people here are content to say that public schools are shitty. Seems that DeSoto, Rankin, Madison, Oxford, Cleveland, Lee County, Tish County, and Tupelo are all counterexamples that are getting ignored. Of course they don't want charters, because they know how to run a system that works without them.

10:26 Look again at the bill. The author was the Senator from Oxford. The Oxford Rep also voted for it. DeSoto and Rankin were the only counties ignoring the kids being failed by poorer districts.

Bill yes, Tom Weathersby(state rep) is Lynn Weathersby's (rankin school superintendent) brother.

Oxford's school board President is against charters. It's fine that Tollison sponsored it, but Tollison doesn't run the district.

And if it's "poorer districts," then maybe one of the reasons Rankin and DeSoto are successful is funding?

Thanks, 11:08. Seems like the gentlemen from Desoto County aren't fully to blame, even if one of them is married to a high ranking school district employee. Rep. Weathersby's vote is the one that changed the outcome, and the conflict of interest in his case is clear. I don't live in his district, but if I did I would be voting for his opponent next time around. Maybe Gov. Bryant and Lt. Gov. Reeves, both in their own Rankin County camps, don't have as much combined pull over there as Lynn Weathersby does.

Weathersby told me he was not for Charters before the vote because his constituents were very happy with their schools. If the top 3 tiers of good standing schools were not a part of the bill to go Charter anyway , I don't see why Weathersby couldn't be for helping others in state far from top tier.

Weathersby told me he was not for Charters before the vote because his constituents were very happy with their schools. If the top 3 tiers of good standing schools were not a part of the bill to go Charter anyway , I don't see why Weathersby couldn't be for helping others in state far from top tier.

Another comment above about 'teacher unions'. I tried to post earlier about this fallacy but was rejected by the owner of the board. There is no such thing in Mississippi as a 'teacher's union' as regards collective bargaining, tenure, clout or strong-arming.

Some of you have watched too much national news and are oblivious to reality in Mississippi on this point. Several relatives who teach tell me the only benefit to paying the annual dues to the MEA is that they will (supposedly) provide an attorney if you are sued by a parent.

If 'you' are aware of other benefits, please post them.

If the top 3 tiers of good standing schools were not a part of the bill ...

Supporting the limitation of charters to certain tiers is a disgraceful argument.

To say that students stuck in the "successful" Canton or Hattiesburg public school districts shouldn't have access to charters goes far beyond intellectual dishonesty.

The people working to hamstring the charter school legislation are outright racists.

Rep. Tracy Arnold voted yes. That was encouraging since he had been waivering under intense pressure from DeSoto County School Superintendent Milton Kuykendall. Of course, that raises a question. Given that his vote ended up not counting, does anyone know if he would have still voted yes had his vote been the deciding vote?

The charter school vote is why we should all demand legislative elections THIS YEAR. Waiting three more years will be a disaster and there is no principled reason why we should. Now that the Republicans are in charge of the House, their control of the issues, money, and most importantly – REDISTRICTING – are all in their favor. We need to give Philip Gunn some maneuvering room just like McCoy had. McCoy's majorities were always quite large. Now however, the State's political climate clearly indicates at least three more Republicans will be elected even if redistricting is completely non-partisan (e.g., DeSoto and Madison Counties and NE Miss. where Steve Holland has already said he won't run for re-election. Also, Bennett Malone who has only been able to remain in office because of his badly gerrymandered district 45, is toast.) If it is pro-Republican, the opportunities are vast.

Another reason we need to have elections this year is we already know who our federal three-judge panel will be and it is a great panel for conservatives. Moreover, a three judge panel has authority to approve a redistricting plan over the objections of the partisan Obama Civil Rights division.

The political stars rarely line up as favorably as they are in this situation. We need to press our conservative legislators to seek elections this year. It is also my understanding that county supervisors and justice court judges who ran last year in districts that were drawn under the 2000 census also have a right to seek a federal court ruling requiring elections this year under the 2010 census. If they are successful, that almost certainly would end up have a positive effect on the fight to force legislative elections this year.

Shadow's right, there is NO teachers' union in MS.

Indeed, from the comments, it seems that hardly anyone FOR charter schools has a realistic idea of what they are or are intended to do and there is certainly no understanding of the variety of ways they can be structured...private and public.

And, the bill ...couldn't any of the legislators get a copy of a good existing charter school bill from another state and at least, get an idea of what a good bill should include?

And, 10:33 pm makes it rather clear that more than a few supporters are interested in charter schools only as a political tool.

In fact, I wonder if this isn't like alot of bills, playing to the politics without any real desire to accomplish anything meaningful and only to make constituents FEEL like they are doing something.

April 5, 2012 12:39 AM

*** YAWN ***

ZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzz

SNORE, SNORE

One of the first charter schools was Suzuki.
Is there language in the bill that prevents a private educational corporation from meeting the conditions required to receive public funding and what are the minimum requirements? Will they be accredited in some way? What will the minimum requirements be for the teachers?

Our yawner is easily bored by details and that's the problem...sleepy headed, intellectually lazy people whose reading is limited to blurbs.

I don't see a damn thing wrong with for-profits. There is nothing virtuous or holy about nonprofits. Last time I checked, Blue Cross and Std. Dominic's are nonprofits. Jackson Academy is a nonprofit yet their Prez gets a fat salary. Think these "nonprofits" don't operate on the profit motive? Of course they all do. This is a red-herring thrown out by the public school lobby.

So let me ask you this. Suppose you set up a charter school for special needs kids. Such schools usually have PT's, OT's, and Speech pathologists on staff. Should that count against the number of certified teachers or should there be an exemption for medically licensed personnel?

Is there language in the bill that prevents a private educational corporation from meeting the conditions required to receive public funding and what are the minimum requirements? Will they be accredited in some way? What will the minimum requirements be for the teachers?

Why don't you read the bill and report back. Or, alternately, take your ego and repeated hypotheticals to your own blog or the JFP.

April 5, 2012 9:01 AM remember to not feed the troll.

A couple of thoughts. Charter schools are nothing more than a mechanism for white crackers to have majority-white schools and let the taxpayers pick up the bill. The fact that so many people on this blog support charter schools is the tell. That this support is wrapped up in "concern" over the black citizens of this state is really touching. Can't anyone here just tell the truth?

The obsession with JFP that is constantly on display here is also telling. On the one hand, we have a successful magazine, well-written, useful, full of compelling stories of interest to many people in the Jackson area. On the other hand, we have a juvenile blog that shows pictures of surgically-enhanced skanks for stress-relief (I think we all know what kind of "relief" is going on) and has commentators debating on which yards a dog shits as proof of some sort of liberal conspiracy.

Good job, Kingfish!

Tell you what.

Lets have a discussion about bonds and PERS. Oh thats right, that goes over y'alls heads. I'll take my coverage about Jackson municipal bond and also PERS and put it up against anything over there or any other paper in the state.

Nice snark though, I must admit.

"Charter schools are nothing more than a mechanism for white crackers to have majority-white schools and let the taxpayers pick up the bill. "

Post racist diatribes much?

BTW, those "white crackers" make up most of the actual taxpayers, so why do you care if they pick up the bill in an improved school?

On the other hand, we have a juvenile blog that shows pictures of surgically-enhanced skanks for stress-relief (I think we all know what kind of "relief" is going on) and ...

And you are still here reading. Imagine that.

Oh dear, the silly JFP,JJ fight again.

I would think each of you would be quite secure and not so touchy if you both had confidence in the facts presented to support your points of view.

Could it be that you both know that sometimes your political bias gets the best of you? And, you both, at times, are given to being selective on facts to support your party's position?

Could it be you are just an idiot?

Oh dear, the silly JFP

Yeah.........

Much ado about nothing

What an incredibly boring world this would be if everyone had all the same experiences and information that led them to all the same conclusions.

KF and DL would have nothing to write that everyone didn't already know.

Nothing would ever change or improve. Of course, learning tends to happen best when one challenges and defends ideas rather than just engaging in name calling.

" If you can't say something nicely, don't say anything at all" is apparently lost wisdom.

And, for Christians, there's John 2:9