Jackson Jambalaya

...better than any long-winded column ever could.

Like Langford's this past weekend.

But, but....this will destroy the narrative. It's hell having to come up with a new narrative since narratives have to have a basis in fact. Right?

The first rule of the hustler and pimp is to remember who you are hustlin'. The same ole game is to remind your victims that they need to kick in mo
money if they want things to get better. It's like "sowing the seeds" of prosperity. Sound familiar? Since KF is not one of the victims his opinion means nothing.

Don't confuse me with the facts, my mind is made up.

Don't forget to mention the people who reside in the "wealthier" parts of Jackson who pay property taxes with school taxes in them, very seldom "cost" JPS as they also pay for private schools for their children. I'd say to the tune of 90%+/-. I bet that fact is never talked about in the collective, narrative, or whatever big word the hustlers like to use. Rich, white folks who pay for something they will never reap the benefits of. Again, water is wet.

I agree there's inefficiency and it's likely in administrative costs. But, until you look at actual costs and the differences in mandatory requirements and plant and equipment, and include outside revenues of other school districts into the mix, you continue to identify there's a problem, but you don't point to a solution.

You may find that the waste is worse in some other area like maintenance or transportation.

And, 9:15 am, I don't have to have a child in the system to know I benefit from an educated populace. I knew that even when I paid private school fees.

I'm more concerned about those who need a good public school system and will not be lucky in a charter lottery!

October 9, 2017 at 9:43 AM = DENIAL & FUD

MDE and the Auditor's office should have the following and if they don't, then they have a reporting problem:
1. Number of schools in each district with the annual maintenance and utility costs
2. Number of buses in each district with the annual maintenance and transportation costs.
3. Monies received from sponsors, PTOs and grants.

And, if there is good reporting for any district, a takeover shouldn't be a matter of guessing what the problem is. MDE and the Auditor should already KNOW!

Education policy is no longer truly "policy"; it's religion.

There is a church of education bureaucracy, and it's built on elaborate myths and rituals, not facts. And no matter how violently the facts collide with these myths, they cannot be abandoned.

If you abandon the myth that the main variable is money, the tithes dry up.

If you abandon the myth that everyone has to learn together in a big, top-down government institution --or not learn at all-- the congregation starts to dwindle.

If you abandon the myth that government can engineer equal outcomes between kids with parents who care, and those without, the whole enterprise collapses.

It's sort of like how Christians can never negotiate on whether Jesus was resurrected, or how Muslims can't reconsider whether Muhammad was perfect. The evidence is 100% irrelevant. The assumptions are not debatable, because the whole operation depends on them being true.

Mr. Langford's column was long on sanctimony and short on analysis.
For full transparency, his child goes to St.Andrews.

Word from the smoke-filled rooms is that the Governor WILL NOT take over JPS. He'll wait till the District is labeled an "F" district and that will trigger automatic takeover....regardless of him as it is mandated by law.

Numbers don't lie!

If that's true 10:14, at the rate they are racing to the bottom it will happen well before the Guv leaves office.

10:58, that's the point. It's coming in very near future...and the Guv knows it. This will take the political pressure off him. He can deflect any "blame". Smart politics.

Phil is leaving. Instead of spending last period in office avoiding "tough" decisions, why doesn't he clean out JPS and MDE and appoint real educators who actually care about the children of the state. What a chance to be a man Governor.

For Kicks and Giggles,

Does anyone on here, including Kingfish, have any idea about the cost of educating a student population that is hyper-concentrated with poverty? One fact Kingfish does not present is the poverty rate of the student populations in JPS compared to Desoto, Rankin, or Madison. $2,000 per student does not come close to making up for the disparity in familiar wealth and income among the student populations in the districts. That $2,000 extra is hat is paid by public tax dollars, but it is not what is actually invested in the schooling of students in suburban districts, when you consider the valuation of the school buildings, the curricular supports that are paid for through private donations (PTA fundraisers, local business sponsorships and grants, etc.), and the fact that the supports in the homes and the community make schooling for suburban children much less expensive that children in concentrated poverty contexts in urban and rural areas.

Residential Segregation and the concentration of poverty creates situations where delivering civic goods and services like education, safe recreation and cultural amenities, police protection, and vital infrastructure supports almost untenable in urban and some rural areas. But yet, we refuse to interrogate the policies and practices that structure residential segregation, like zoning policies, new development residential square footage minimums, discriminant home loan lending, and PILOT programs that encourage gentrification that price out many poor and minority residents from their gentrified neighborhoods.

All of these things create concentrated poverty contexts that serve to deprive children of many developmental supports that are necessary for the development of academic skills that would yield success in school. Because of that lack of supports from the home and the community, schooling for children in those contexts is quite expensive and daunting. Its the price we pay for segregation.

Is there anything in JPS you won't excuse?

$2,000 per student does not come close to making up for the disparity ...

Tell us then, how much per student extra is required?

Kicks and Giggles. Let's discuss this.

I do think it is important to not ignore the very real consequences of history. This includes the blatant discriminatory policies seen in residential segregation that you talk about. It makes for a non-vibrant community which affects the opportunities these children have, no doubt.

KF has previously provided feedback on what he thinks needs to happen in Jackson:
1)higher percentage of JPS payroll being teachers (licensed, good teachers)
2)streamline top heavy administration (and get a really talented superintendent with proven results in these type of turnarounds)
3)invest in complete / total pre-school / after school programs to give kids structure that they are not getting at home (looking at demographics, very high percentage of kids born to unwed mothers and young mothers).


Do you agree with these? What suggestions do you have?

Almost right. I don't believe in so-called after school programs. Make the actual school day longer. By all means include sports and arts in the afternoon but make it part of the school day itself. Keep them in school until four or five in the afternoon.

And get a real forensic audit to see where all the money is spent.

Oh, and close down some schools. fewer students means fewer resources needed.

"Oh, and close down some schools. fewer students means fewer resources needed."

How in the hell will closing down 'some schools' equal fewer students?

That's about as dumb as claiming running a dam across the lake will equal fewer fish.

Seriously. Langford sends his kids to St Andrew's!

7:10, “How in the hell will closing down 'some schools' equal fewer students?”

Very simple, if the student population is dropping, you need fewer facilities and can save operational costs by shutting down excess facilities. You misread the post by KF, and you reworded his post to say something the original didn’t say. Shutting schools doesn’t cause fewer students, but if the student population is declining, you don’t need the same number of facilities as you,do for a larger population.

2:58 was obviously home-schooled and always wanted to be a sociologist. They don't have real jobs. They just opine about community issues and such and think what they have to say has meaning. They're just one step removed from being a community activist (neighborhood agitator). Most of them are also interested in setting up a Go Fund Me account.

JPS receives this money largely from NE Jackson a area that sends there kids to private schools. I'd love to have that portion of money go to prep for my 4 children's tuition. My brother in Belhaven sends 3 kids to St. Andrews. I'm certain he would rather use this money for tuition as well rather than letting JPS squander it.

Math and research don't lie if you have included all the key variables.
I'm not excusing anything. I'm just appalled at how poorly Mississippi measures performance and efficiency. And, I'm appalled at how politics has always infested the educational system including IHL. And, selective accounting and research has been a part of the failure of education system wide. Indeed, some of our leaders reject that averages hold any validity. Apparently, they never averaged their own grades.
2:58 pm has a point that can also be backed up with solid math and research. Perhaps, if you look at Appalachia's poverty stricken areas and compare them to affluent areas in West Virginia, you'd see that poverty is a factor when race plays zero role.
If you think it not more demanding or costly to teach a class of children with a lower IQs or who are ill prepared for school either physically or psychologically or who have to work to help support the family or have little time to study or any help studying, or who have to been transported to school by the system , you are mistaken.
I want you to compare apples to apples. So compare JPS to a district with the same socio-economic factors using the same measures. Then perhaps you can better identify where the " waste" is. Just the stats you have posted are a hint...the big winners in performance are college towns and districts with higher median incomes.
If a 1/4 of my class needs extra help, I can do it. If 3/4 of my class needs extra help for any reason, there aren't enough hours in a day to do that.
I would also respectfully suggest to everyone that by the time students get to high school, it's too late. It's the wrong focus. Indeed, if I picked ONE grade to study the system, it'd be the 3rd grade. That's when some very key skills going forward are taught and if missed, haunt a child the rest of his academic life.

@2:58, so you're saying parents and the communities in the 'burbs pitch in and spend some of their own money through private donations (PTA fundraisers, local business sponsorships and grants, etc.)? Novel idea isn't it? The term "it takes a village" comes to mind. Its not segregation. Those that want to better themselves do, as did their parents and grandparents that got them where they are. I'm assuming pulling the segregation card you may be of the African American community? If so, then why is it the "narrative" of the AA community these days are words like "collective", "Cooperative", "Community". Can the AA community not pitch in and help? Can they not make sure homework is done and grades are kept up like in the suburban communities? I'm not so sure its a money thing rather than a lifestyle thing. After a while, you back yourself in the corner passing out contracts to the hustlers rather than spending it the kids properly. Then when you come seeking a handout, get upset when people want to see where the money goes. Sometimes the community has to lace up their bootstraps and get to work to prove they want to do better.

October 10, 2017 at 8:22 AM = Pablum and NO PUDDING

I am not a person who invests much effort in making or defending excuses, but I do think problems can only be solved by complete examination of the contributing factors. 2:58 and 8:22 at least acknowledge a basic reality of education in Mississippi, that is, a large percentage of children in this state come from homes where education is not the priority item it must be to be successful. JPS has a concentration of such children. That is a fact. JPS does not provide 24 hour social services in the home. The Department of Human Services cannot do this job either, the problem is societal and it is extensive. JPS gets these kids and MUST, if they intend to be effective, provide remedial services to these kids that Desoto or Madison County can forego. The problem is, JPS is not using the resources it already has in the most effective manner. Of all districts JPS should be the one dedicating the most funds to classroom and academic operations, rather than padding it's administrative staff with cronies and friends of friends. It's like people on welfare who genuinely need financial help buying lobster and rib eye steak.

Actually surprised, but this is becoming a very fruitful discussion.

To the points KF and WOW made, the challenge with getting more and better teachers in a district like JPS is that performance evaluations for those teachers are too heavily tied in to the test scores of their students. Yes, good teaching is the best "in school" variable to improve student achievement. But the operative word there is IN SCHOOL. The biggest variable to student achievement, in aggregate, are social-economic factors, like parent level of education, income, and such. That’s why in any accountability model focused solely on test scores (like here in MS), suburban (college town) districts will fare better, and urban and rural (poor) districts will fare worse, regardless of what the school leaders themselves are doing in the buildings. Those are variables schools cannot control, unless they have a selective enrollment.

I agree more investments in early childhood and extra-curricular supports could help, along with other wrap around services like physical and mental health services, social work case management, and job supports for parents. But all of these supports come with a heavy price tag from a funding source that is leaner and leaner with every corporate and income tax cut from the state. The Department of Mental Health has lost over 650 positions in the last 2 years because of tax cuts, Medicaid was not expanded, and for the first time since its inception, CHIP program was not funded by the feds. So, practically, waiting for these supports to happen and to come from state and federal government is unfortunately, a pipe dream at best.

So, what we are faced with in district like JPS is a question of vision and institutional control/community accountability. If we truly want to see JPS turned around, the concept of "turned around" must be interrogated. I won't go into a long treatise on the subject, I'll just day this, what is a better indictor of an effective education and schooling experience for children in a community, a test core from a 5th grade science test or a 8/9th grade math test; or an account of how many of the graduates from the high schools are working/in school, started a business or are voting/civically engaged within 5 years of graduation? Measurement drives decision making at the local level. If we measured student outcomes after graduation, then we could better structure educational policy and schooling practice in the local levels to tailor to the needs of each community.

No one ever mentions the $150 million dollar bond issue that was passed by citizen's vote. It was project managed by a company called Jacobs, an expert in building public schools. They were associated with local people and some things were done correctly. Some were not done at all. Accountability. Seems like one more out-of-town expert ripped off Jackson. But, back to Langford, is $150,000,000.lack of reinvestment? Just like most liberals, if they say it, it is true.

Ha... for the complete moron claiming the race card bc whites in Jackson send there kids to private schools... well I hate to bust your race baiting misguided opinion but the private schools are much more diverse than any of the JPS schools. Go play your trumpet elsewhere like the 1960's.

St Andrew's? I love it when the hypocrisy of the pontificating class is exposed!

I'd rather base the teacher pay on a beginning and end of year diagnostic test than the test used now. Gives one a better indicator of how much child progresses through year although not perfect.

come on people why every time a discussion comes you all talk about race. We all know that race play no part in education rather a part in society. Every race has the same problems throughout this wonderful place we called Earth. I understand that Jackson has experienced white flight and right now is experiencing black flight. The most important is these kids are suffering because of something the top heads are doing and it's not just JPS heads fault it's the MS Dept of Education fault as well. Can we all take off the race hat for one minute and realize that a child has no color but are only taught to have it. Everything gets old and one day Rankin County and Madison county school system that will get old. By the JPS do have a couple schools that are A rated. When I see a child I don't see color I see a human that can learn from everyone. By the way when I watch the news I don't just see African Americans doing crimes it's all race. What I'm trying to say is I get how you feel but every African American is not the same just like people from the other race are not all the same. Just because you stay in Rankin and Madison county don't make you smart only mean you are smart at what society calls smart.

"Just because you stay in Rankin and Madison county don't make you smart only mean you are smart at what society calls smart."

Fo Reals dog! Them kinfolk from the burbs aint got that skreet smarts!

To be clear, I am no JPS apologist. Yes, the leadership in JPS is faced with a daunting task of educating a student population that is vastly over concentrated with under supported and under resourced students. And yes, they have failed miserably at it. The lack of innovation around school climate, pedagogy, curriculum and assessment practice, discipline and classroom management policies, community engagement, and transparency are glaring and indeed sad. Something vital and radical must happen to completely reimagine schooling in JPS. Simply having more local control ain’t the answer, but neither is state control if it isn’t innovative and creative in its leadership.

But educators in Rankin, Madison, and Clinton aren’t doing a good job with teaching poor black students either. Look at the disaggregated student achievement data in those districts. For example, there is a school in the Madison county school district that teeters between a D and F rating each year. Its Velma Jackson high school, and it is the only school in the district that served a 100% black population and eligible for community free and reduced lunch (at least 80% poor). No school system in the state does a good job with teaching poor, black kids sustainably or systemically. That is not to say poor black kids can’t learn in MS, they can and do every day. But, its not because of any scalable policy or practice that we can observe. The poor black students that excel academically around the state do so in spite of what districts fail to provide them during their schooling.

Given this reality, we can observe a striking phenomenon with school accountability ratings. The biggest observable variable that characterizes the difference in the ratings of the schools systems is the proportion of their student population that is poor and Black. This makes the accountability model more indicative of the social-economics of a district rather than educational excellence. This model incentivizes districts to segregate based on race and class rather than become better at teaching poor black children. From school zone law enforcement, to building and development zoning boards (Ridgeland was sued by HUD in 2015 because they tried to zone out apartments on Count Line road-to preserve school accountability ratings!), to funding initiatives and municipal bond votes; schooling is highly characterized by residential segregation, probably more so than any the variable we can think of. Yet, we seldom talk about the connection between the quality of schooling in a community and the residential segregation that characterizes community development around the state. I wonder why???...

And the award for the most words used to say the least goes to......
4:21 PM.

@6:17 PM

+1,000