The Mississippi Republican Party just issued the following press release. The House Education Committee will take up the charter school bill today. The outcome is very much in doubt as three committee members from Desoto County are influenced by their Superintendent. Sources inform JJ he is completely against charter schools as once the "Pandora's Box is opened" (as one legislator put it), they will eventually spread to Desoto County. Here is the press release:
JACKSON- Mississippi Republican Party Chairman Joe Nosef made the following statement concerning pending charter school legislation:
"The Mississippi Republican Party joins Gov. Phil Bryant, Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves, and Speaker Philip Gunn in strongly supporting the enactment of additional charter school legislation in Mississippi. For far too long, parents have been forced to enroll their children in failing public schools simply because of their zip code. Charter schools will give parents, particularly in failing school districts, another option in the public school education of their children. It is time that we stop accepting failing schools in Mississippi and join the 39 other states that have viable charter school legislation already in place."
Important information on charter schools throughout the United States:
• More than 5,000 charter schools serve more than 1.5 million children across the country as of 2009.
• For the 2009-2010 school year, 419 new charter schools opened in 39 states.
• Today, 39 states and the District of Columbia have charter school laws in place.
• Charter schools across the U.S. are funded at 61 percent of their district counterparts.
• On average, charter schools are funded at $6,585 per pupil compared to $10,771 per pupil at conventional district public schools.
• There is a direct correlation between strong laws and successful charter schools. Of those states with strong laws, 65 percent show positive achievement gains; of the weak states, only two demonstrate the same level of progress.
• A 2004 report commissioned by the U.S. Department of Education found that charter schools are smaller than conventional public schools and serve a disproportionate and increasing number of poor and minority students.
• A 2003 national report by the Brookings Institution shows that test scores at charter schools are "rising sharply" and out-gaining conventional schools.
• A December 2004 Harvard University study finds that charter school students are more likely to be proficient in reading and math than students in neighboring conventional schools.
• The greatest achievement gains can be seen among African American, Hispanic, or low-income students.
• Charter schools that have been open for significant periods of time boast even higher achievement rates; Harvard found that charter schools that have been operating for more than 5 years outpace conventional schools by as much as 15 percent.
Kingfish note: Of course, it should be remembered Desoto gets extra funding because it is a "high growth district". Since those legislators don't want to pass a bill that can help the schools in Jackson, Hattiesburg, and the Delta, the Republican leadership should take away their money and give it to the schools in the Delta. You know, the ones represented by the Black Caucus. Thats what McCoy or Newman would've done. Come on Philip, bloody your knuckles.
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Mississippi GOP stands up for charter schools
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17 comments:
It is insane that the professional education establishment is against educating kids. Half a century later, they are the new segregationists standing in the schoolhouse door saying "YOU WILL NOT EDUCATE THESE POOR BLACK CHILDREN!" The House leadership should resign if they can't help Chairman John Moore crack skulls and get this bill through. We are finished with failure, and we should stop failing our kids.
Conservatives and charter schools advocates have been big time out-hustled and out-muscled. Someone needs to clue in Nosef, Kittredge, et al that churning out press releases ain't getting the job done. Some ass whuppin's better be in the offing for those who screwed this up.
how did these committe members from desoto get there.. were they appointed? were they not vetted? who appointed them? ive lived and loved MS my whole life.. had opportunities to move but didnt, cause i thought this place could be better and then i look at leadership and im convinced that once you get in power you cannot do the right thing for the whole
and what about when the demographics shift.. their schools will not always be good schools... very short sighted
If Gunn can't stop this charter school mutiny then it is going to be a long four years.
Between his inability to enforce discipline on the heavy-lifts and RINOTate's take-my-marbles-home pouting in the Senate the prospects are looking bleak.
Way to go guys. You beg for the keys to the car only to expose after the fact that you don't know how to f'ing drive.
It is insane that the professional education establishment is against educating kids.
This isn't about educating kids. This issue is about controlling money.
Representative Nelson's wife is the spokesperson for the Desoto School District. I believe he is a member of this committee.
Once again, we prove that there is a reason we are last in everything.
Ok, dumb question time. If charter schools are made available to children in failing school districts, won't ALL the children just move to the charter school once they have that opportunity? If so, do we still have to pay to run the other one? If the way charter schools are run is that great, why don't we just do that in our public schools instead of paying for two options?
Also, are charter schools run by private companies? Are any of them for profit? If so (and this is a broader, possibly unrelated question) do we really want to privatize more government functions? Does Citizens United not concern anyone?
@8:50am-The Speaker appoints all committe assignments. Rule 23 in the "Legislative Leadership Handbook" Thou Shall Not Appoint Multiple members from the same County or Area To a particular committee, esp if said committe is to deal with legislation that is controversial or deemed highly important to the partys interest. This keeps legislators from teaming up and sticking together beacuse they come from the same geogrphical area. Speaker Dumb didn't get the memo when he took office I guess. As KF so wisely stated above. There are ways to make sure these members do the right thing. Another was is to simply replace them on the committee. Though I like KF idea better. Start Nut-Cutting their funding in that county. Just because Speaker Dumb is thought of as a "SMART GUY" doesn't mean he is capable of running the House. Remember, many first round draft picks are a bust. It's not a big deal, unless you leave them on the field and bring the whole team down. Sometimes you just have to say THIS ISN'T WORKING OUT and get a new player.
"do we really want to privatize more government functions?"
Harvard is a private school. Jackson State is a public school.
Which degree do you think carries more weight with and employer or a graduate/professional school?
Explain again how government run education produces better results.
UVA, Michigan, Berkeley, UNC - all public schools. Devry & ITT - for profit. Or are you a Phoenix?
Rep /Committee Member Nelson's wife spokesman for Desoto Public Schools , Editor CL David Hampton's wife spokesman for Jackson Public Schools-- isn't that cozy? And deadly for children trying to get out of failing schools into the good life.One congressman I talked to who was anti Charters-someone told me his brother in law is the superintendent in the county.Nepotism is alive and well in Mississippi if not another thang is working right! If our Governor will use his office as a bully pulpit and try to inspire men to rise above selfish motives and put the poor and uneducated before themselves-MS will have much to be proud of!
"Harvard is a private school. Jackson State is a public school.
Which degree do you think carries more weight with and employer or a graduate/professional school?"
Is this seriously the kind of "logic" that flies on these comment boards?
8:24 PM- That seems to be the type of logic that flies in this whole state. The internet makes me so pessimistic about the future. People speak with no inhibition, and their true feelings amaze me each day.
8:24 and 9:13 I notice neither of you answered the question.
10:03 am, your questions not only aren't dumb , being dumb is not asking questions.
In existing charter schools there are several different methods for selecting which children are accepted. Commonly, there are more applicants than places. Sometimes selection is done by lottery and sometimes the school has certain student qualifications that must be met.
Some charter schools are run by private companies and/or managed by private companies. Sometimes, the public education system manages the charter, but contracts with a private entity.
It is not so much " for profit" when it's private like a corporation as it is like hiring a professional service. What is paid is based on what the service costs are . The profit is built in to what is charged for salaries, operating costs, etc.
What bothered me most in this bill is the lack of a description of minimum standards for the charter schools. Indeed, when it came to teacher qualifications, the standards were reduced. The intention may have been to increase flexibility, but some ( and I'm one) think it would have been better to specifically address this and raise minimum standards.
While the debate seems to be " charter or no charter" for most, for some of us, it's that the bill has so many holes in it, the risks of having unqualified people rather than better qualified people in charge and the potential for abuses seemed great.
Indeed, when I shopped private schools, I was impressed with those schools that listed the qualifications of their teachers...the schools, the degrees, the years of experience, the awards etc. Wouldn't it be nice in MS to know the qualifications of those teaching your children?
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