Senate District 19 - Special Election
 
Candidates for this office were offered a questionnaire consisting of questions
submitted to The Parents' Campaign by our members. Responses appear below.
 
The special election was held November 6, 2012, in conjunction with the general election. No candidate for Senate District 19 received a majority of votes, therefore a runoff will be held November 27 between the top two candidates: Pat Nelson and David Parker.
    
Pat Nelson         Dr. David Parker  
   
 
Pat Nelson (Runoff)
   
Voting Record (House of Representatives, District 40)
   
How can Mississippi get creative to ensure sufficient revenue to fully fund education and other vital state services?
We need to study the best practices in states where they are achieving high standards with the same or with less revenue. Then we need to implement these proven ideas. 
 
What is your position on using vouchers or tax credit scholarships to send students to private schools?
 
I am not in favor of vouchers paid for with public tax dollars to send our children to private schools. While the idea might sound good to some, it would bankrupt our state. 
 
Do you support full funding of MAEP? How do you propose to reach the goal of full funding?
 
Yes, I do. The way to get to full funding is to grow our state's economy so that we have the revenue to fund MAEP. We can do that by encouraging job growth through lessening of red tape and bureaucracy on our small businesses which historically have created the additional jobs that caused our economy to grow. Also prioritizing funding requests should place MAEP above some other less important programs. 
 
Do you support the high growth funding for DeSoto County Schools? How will you fight for it?
 
High growth funding is important for DeSoto County Schools and the other school districts which are experiencing high student growth. All we are asking for is to be paid for every student that we are teaching in the current school year. That is a fair and just request. To base school funding on last year's numbers is absurd. 
 
What is your position on allowing charter schools in High Performing and Star school districts (A and B districts)?
 
I do not support allowing charter schools to come into High Performing and Star school districts. Let them prove themselves in the failing school districts which may need their help. 
 
What is your position on allowing charter schools in ANY district?
 
I would support allowing a limited number of charter schools in only our lowest, failing school districts on a trial basis to see if this could help improve their performance. 
 
What is your position on virtual charter schools?
 
Virtual charter schools are a sham which should be avoided in Mississippi. Their lack of accountability is an embarrassment in states where they have been allowed to set up and use public tax money. 
 
How should charter schools be funded (should they receive state and/or local funding)?
 
In failing school districts, all charter school bills that have been presented allow for the public tax money to follow the student. 
 
What is your position on teacher retirement and the so-called 13th check which is, in reality, a 3% annual cost of living adjustment?
 
I will protect PERS for all current and retired teachers. Future enrollees may need to see a slight change in the program but current and retired teachers should be fully funded as promised. 
 
What is your position regarding possible changes to PERS?
 
I would support changes to PERS only for future enrollees. 
 
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?
Yes, I would, but only as we can grow our economy to be able to fund it with additional revenue from job growth. Currently our state's economy continues to struggle but with less regulation, less bureaucracy, and less red tape for our small businesses, they will be able to flourish and grow and new tax revenue will result. This could be the funding for pre-K education.
 
I would not support any new taxes from current taxpayers to fund pre-K education. This is not a good time to consider new taxes. Our economy is very fragile right now and we do not need to cripple its recovery.
 
 
Dr. David Parker (Runoff)
  
How can Mississippi get creative to ensure sufficient revenue to fully fund education and other vital state services?
Better than increasing the share of the revenue pie education receives from Mississippi is increasing the size of the pie. When Mississippians prosper, tax revenues and collections increase providing more revenue to use to teach our students. We must attract new business and grow existing businesses to create new and better jobs. Meanwhile, we need to continue to identify and eliminate waste in state services so those funds can be directed to critical investments like education.
 
What is your position on using vouchers or tax credit scholarships to send students to private schools?
 
Mississippi's constitution prohibits the use of public funds to fund private schools. Educating our children can be an expensive endeavor for parents whether they choose public schools or private schools as the best solution to their children's particular education needs. I support tax relief for parents. I support those in the private sector - businesses or foundations - who volunteer to assist parents in their education needs be they in public or private schools. I believe we should encourage volunteer participation by the private sector in meeting our financial needs in both public and private education. I applaud a company that chooses to sponsor a public school with additional resources; or a company that creates an education foundation to assist parents in private school tuition.

Do you support full funding of MAEP? How do you propose to reach the goal of full funding?
 
I support fully funding MAEP by eliminating wasteful spending and growing our economy.

Do you support the high growth funding for DeSoto County Schools? How will you fight for it?
The average daily attendance calculation in the MAEP formula includes a component for high growth areas where any district that has a consistent growth in average daily attendance over the prior three years has the average percent of growth added to the average daily attendance for that district. This ensures growth does not get ahead of funding and put a prospering area at risk as a result of success. I support high growth funding for DeSoto County Schools and other areas of the state which need to meet the needs of a growing economy.

What is your position on allowing charter schools in High Performing and Star school districts (A and B districts)?
We don't need to fix what is working; we need to fix what is broken. I am opposed to a policy that would hurt a thriving school.

What is your position on allowing charter schools in ANY district?
The Parents' Campaign supports charter school legislation that will focus resources on helping students who are trapped in unsuccessful schools. I agree we should help students in unsuccessful schools. But some students can succeed in an unsuccessful school; and some students cannot succeed in a successful school. I believe we should allow parents to decide the education destiny of their children.

What is your position on virtual charter schools?
I believe teachers should teach kids, not computers.

How should charter schools be funded (should they receive state and/or local funding)?
My family lives much according to the "Dave Ramsey" method (in fact, I have taught his "Financial Peace" program in my church). We don't begin a project without understanding how that project will be funded. Public schools should be funded with public funds. If the private sector wants to voluntarily provide additional funding, I support that choice. Private schools should be funded with private funds. Public charter schools should be created to be revenue neutral to traditional public schools so that any revenue lost by that public student moving from a traditional public school to a charter public school should be accompanied by an expense decrease of that student moving as well.

What is your position on teacher retirement and the so-called 13th check which is, in reality, a 3% annual cost of living adjustment?
We must ensure the teacher retirement program is solvent so we can keep our promises to both teacher retirees and to taxpayers.

What is your position regarding possible changes to PERS?
We need to identify reforms to PERS which will enable us to keep our promises to retirees without increasing payments by taxpayers which would hurt critical funding for issues like public education.

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?
Again, I look at my Dave Ramsey training and imagine if I needed to build onto my house for an additional room because I had a baby on the way. Providing shelter for my family including the new baby is critically important. However, that new additional room will cost money and it appears I can't even fully fund the mortgage on my current house. So, we adjust to accommodate the baby in the house with the rest of the family. We should focus first on fully funding MAEP before looking to expand our education costs. Especially when in this case, we're able to accommodate many pre-K students "within the house." We have an estimated 85,000 3 and 4 year old children in Mississippi. About 28,000 of them are already enrolled in the federally funded Head Start  program and about 6,000 are in private pre-K programs. Because the proposal is non-compulsory, many parents will choose to not participate. Before we look at expanding our educational house, we need to pay for the one we currently operate.