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

I would like to see Mississippians competing for leadership roles throughout the nation and the world. This means providing world-class training opportunities for our young people and prioritizing programs that work in our budgeting process

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

Many of our local schools are hemorrhaging classroom talent. To address this problem, we have to invest in programs that encourage our best teachers to stay and attract highly-qualified teachers to our schools

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?

Yes

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)

As a member of the Mississippi House Education Committee, I have supported the National Board Certification Program Stipend on the basis that is incentivizes excellence in classroom instruction. I do not believe the correlation between NBCTs and higher standardized test scores is accidental.

• Vocational Education

My House district is home to Mississippi's largest employer and numerous other major industrial leaders. I have seen firsthand the way that vocational training has improved our workforce and redirected students to important, higher-paying jobs. I am proud to support vocational education

• Gifted Education

I was fortunate to benefit from 8 years of instruction in the Pascagoula School District's gifted education program and have maintained close contact with gifted education instructors across the state. These programs provide enhanced educational opportunities for Mississippi's brightest students and are well worth preserving.

• Special Education

Over the last four years, I have spent considerable time examining our special education programs in Mississippi. I have come to have tremendous respect for our special education teachers and the opportunities they provide their students. I am proud to have supported these programs in the past and intend to continue to support special education in the future.

• Education Enhancement/Teacher Supply Fund (EEF)

I have been a consistent supporter of dedicating a portion of our education budget to pay for classroom supplies. I see these supply dollars as an important part of our commitment to our children's education.

• Teacher Salaries

Salary is one of the primary considerations for prospective teachers considering where to work. We simply cannot expect to attract or keep the best teachers in Mississippi if our teacher pay is not competitive

• Chickasaw Cession Payments

As a member of the House, I have consistently supported annual appropriations to the school districts in the Chickasaw Cession

• The Public Employee Retirement System (PERS)

I have consistently supported maintaining our state's commitment to the Public Employee Retirement System.

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

Over the last four years, House budget makers have been creative in finding ways to maintain funding for education and other vital state programs. I am proud to have been a part of that effort and will continue to look for creative ways to fund our budget priorities if reelected.

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?

I have supported this proposal in the past and would support it again.

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

Teachers, like other Mississippians, expect a positive work environment and good pay for a job well done. I believe we make our schools more attractive to teachers by supporting their efforts in the classroom, ensuring competitive salaries, providing a stipend for teachers who attain National Board Certification, and providing incentives for Mississippi college students who remain in Mississippi to teach.

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

I believe that we should maintain rigorous standards for our teachers to ensure that our children are getting the best instruction possible. As a legislator, I have supported programs that have focused on retaining our best teachers and providing training and oversight necessary for our new teachers to succeed.

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

During my time in the House, I have voted to ensure that we maintain a high level of accountability for our school leaders. I believe school leaders must take responsibility for the performance of the teachers and students in their districts and should be encouraged to modify their practices when faced with failure.

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?

I have been a strong supporter of early childhood education and believe we could get more support for these programs if people across the state could see what a great resource these programs are for the communities they serve.