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

I want to improve the quality of life for all Mississippians. To me, improving educational opportunities is the key to improving our quality of life. If we succeed in raising the level of education in Mississippi, we will see increased economic development, more and better jobs, improved health and less dependence on government assistance. First and foremost, we need to make education the number one priority if we are to improve the quality of life in our state

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

The greatest challenge facing Mississippi schools is improving student achievement with limited resources. We need to work to increase resources available to our schools, but also make sure those resources are used in an efficient manner.

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. In the Senate I have consistently led efforts to increase funding for education and will continue to do so.

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 helped pass this legislation when it was created when Senator Grey Ferris was Chair of the Education Committee. I have worked to insure that it has been funded since I began serving in the Senate and will continue to do so.

• Vocational Education

Vocational education is critical to education and improving our workforce in Mississippi. If we are going to attract good-paying jobs to our State, this is an important component in our efforts.

• Gifted Education

It is important to challenge all students in our schools, including those who excel. Gifted education allows our schools to help students develop their potential in thinking and learning.

• Special Education

It is important to provide an opportunity for all students to realize their potential to learn and special education funds are necessary to meet this need.

• Education Enhancement/Teacher Supply Fund (EEF)

I have fought for teacher supply funds since I began serving in the Senate and will continue to do so.

• Teacher Salaries

We have to improve teacher salaries to continue to attract and retain quality teachers. A good teacher in the classroom is critical to a student’s success.

• Chickasaw Cession Payments

I support maintaining these payments and maximizing 16th section income for education.

• The Public Employee Retirement System (PERS)

PERS is a great benefit for our state employees and I will continue to support it.

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

We need to elect leaders who will support adequate funding for education on the state level.

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?

Support

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

We passed the critical teacher shortage act in the late 90s and this prevented the teacher shortage from getting worse. It is important to have qualified teachers in the classroom. We need a long term strategy that will increase interest in the teaching profession. I would use evidence-based methods to determine what strategies work best for Mississippi and incorporate those methods keeping in mind the limited resources of our state.

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

We need to make sure that our teachers get the best training available in our universities and colleges. Once the teacher is in the classroom, we need to provide them the support they need so they can focus on teaching.

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

My response would be the same as the question regarding teachers. We need to insure that school leaders have the best training available at our universities and colleges and then make sure that we provide school leaders the support they need in the schools.

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?

We need to provide state funding for non-compulsory early childhood education, but given the fact that we have underfunded MAEP by more than $200 million, we need to give priority to restoring full funding of MAEP. Once that is done, we can focus on early childhood education. We can help schools across the state with early childhood education if we fully fund MAEP. I also support the private-public partnerships that are currently involved with early childhood education.