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What is your vision for Mississippi, and how does education fit into that vision?

My vision is that each Mississippian has a chance for a 21st century job. And the only way that we can reach that vision is through adequate support of education not only by parents, but by community leaders and legislators.  

What do you see as the greatest challenge facing Mississippi schools and how will you address it?

That is a complex question and if anyone thinks it is simple, they aren't aware of the situation. The overall answer is that the greatest challenge facing schools is being able to educate children so that they can pursue their dreams in an ever changing world. How that is accomplished is a responsibility all must share, including parents and leaders. For instance, what we know is that if children are not read to in their preschool years, they aren't prepared to learn. Thus, parents have a primary responsibility in preschool years to prepare their children by the simple act of reading, of emphasizing learning. Schools have a responsibility to hire the very best teachers they can and support these teachers as they teach our children. School administrators also have a responsibility to make sure that our schools are safe. Legislators have a responsibility to make sure there is adequate funding to compensate our teachers.  

For Fiscal Year 2012, the MAEP appropriation is underfunded by $237,386,693. Assuming no more than 2% inflation, the formula would likely require about $2,365,180,600 for Fiscal Year 2014 (to be decided in the 2013 Legislative Session), about $392-million more than was appropriated for Fiscal Year 2012. Would you support getting to this full funding level in two legislative sessions? 

I am for getting to full funding as soon as possible.  

Will you commit to closing by a significant margin the current gap between current funding and full funding of the MAEP for Fiscal Year 2013 (to be decided in the 2012 Legislative Session)? The MAEP is currently underfunded by $237,386,693.

Yes. 

The following issues are very important to the 60,000 members of The Parents’ Campaign. Frequently throughout the year, we get calls and emails regarding these topics, and many of the questions submitted for this questionnaire were about funding for these specific areas.Where do these fit into your funding priorities, and how would you, as a legislator, address them?

• National Board Certification Program Stipend/National Board Certified Teachers (NBCT)

I am also in favor of funding the National Board Certified Teacher Program. This program is a way to reward outstanding teachers and to keep them vested in public education and to make them even better teachers.  

• Vocational Education

• Gifted Education

If our schools are adequately funded, both gifted education and vocational education should be sufficiently provided for. Again, this goes back to ensuring adequate and full funding for our schools.  

• Special Education

Special Education, of course, comes under various federal mandates and must be complied with.  

• Education Enhancement/Teacher Supply Fund (EEF)

I am in support of the Education Enhancement/Teacher Supply Fund.  

• Teacher Salaries

We have to make teacher's salaries competitive with surrounding states in order to keep our teachers we educate in our colleges and universities.  

• Chickasaw Cession Payments

I am in support of continuing the Chickasaw Cession funding for Northeast Mississippi School Districts. It has made a tremendous difference for these counties and needs to continue, not the least of which there was a legal settlement involving this matter.  

• The Public Employee Retirement System (PERS)

Mississippi has one of the best public retirement systems in the nation. Public retirement is one of the benefits of public school teaching and is an important component of not only attracting teachers to our public schools, but also providing adequate retirement for teachers who have engaged in public service for many years. 

How can Mississippi get creative to ensure sufficient revenue to fully fund education and other vital state services?

Getting creative to fund schools. I am not sure there is a creative answer to funding schools. However, I am not in favor of "reinventing the wheel" either. I believe we should study the states which have the best public education and find out what they are doing. I also believe that we should study the states with the worst public education and likewise find out what they are doing. It would seem common sense to attempt to emulate the policies which have the best public education and avoid the policies with the worst public education. And, indeed, if Mississippi's public education is considered one of the worst, we need to figure out how to fix it and then fix it.  

In Mississippi, some local school superintendents are elected rather than being appointed by their boards. Would you support or oppose a phase-out of elected superintendents, moving to appointment as incumbent elected superintendents retire or leave their positions?

It is my general and genial observation that many rural school districts prefer to elect their superintendents and urban school districts prefer to select. The general idea is that electing a superintendent produces more "politics" which is antithetical to good schools. I don't know that this is necessarily the case. What I want to see is what works: which kind of system is producing the best schools. In other words, follow the evidence and then make a decision.  

What would you do to address Mississippi’s teacher shortage?

In order to attract outstanding teachers and keep them, their salaries must be competitive.  

What steps should be taken to improve the quality of teaching in Mississippi?

It is my opinion that to improve teaching in secondary schools requires finding people who are passionate about what they teach and then teaching them how to teach. Again, we are back to "reinventing the wheel". Where are the best teachers located? What makes them the best? For instance, did they major in English or English Education? Study the best public schools in America and put those principles to work in Mississippi. 

What steps should be taken to improve the overall quality of Mississippi school leaders?

Leadership for our schools must come from the top: That is, it must come from University and Community College Presidents who will emphasize the quality of public education. They need to use their bully pulpits to press for changes. Governors come and go and are involved in a host of different things. But colleges Presidents usually stay around awhile and can do much to stress the importance of education from the ground up. I want our college Presidents to work together and to publicly press for improved education. I believe if this is done, the legislature is more likely to follow. On the other hand, there is no substitute for a state rep or senator who stands up in every meeting and pounds the table for public education. And that is something I have done and will continue to do. And, most of all, there is no substitute for parents who demand changes. Parents must demand changes.  

Would you support state funding for a statewide non-compulsory early childhood education program? If yes, what is your plan for getting state funding for early education? If no, why are you opposed to state funding for early education?