I envision Mississippi as a state with a strong commitment to job creation and education, realizing the two go hand in hand. As a former head of the Mississippi Development Authority, the state's lead economic development agency, I understand the impact that a trained and educated work force within our state has on prospective employers, both from existing and new businesses. A commitment to a strong education system from pre-kindergarten through college is the best workforce development investment our state can make. If elected, I will advocate for educators and those who have no voice of their own, our students. As a parent and a grandparent, I understand that education funding is critical to the economic growth of our community and the quality of life of our children.  

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

I feel the greatest challenge facing Mississippi schools is the lack of adequate funding. Underfunding of MAEP in previous years has led to budget shortfalls in many local school districts. School boards have been forced to require additional local funding to bridge the gap, often resulting in an increase in ad valorem taxes. MAEP should be consistently applied as the designated funding mechanism for education, and should be applied in a timely manner early in the legislative session. Addressing education early will allow local budget administrators to better prepare for the upcoming school year. 

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. Appropriating funds utilizing MAEP early in the legislative session will better promote adequate education funding.  

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. Adequate education funding will be one of my top priorities. 

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)

We should fulfill our commitment to provide the additional monetary stipend to National Board Certified Teachers for their commitment to excellence in the classroom and the success of their students.  

• Vocational Education

Vocational education is important to our economic development and to the future success of our students and should be funded. Students should be prepared to join the workforce with the skills needed to be successful. 

• Gifted Education

While it is important to meet the needs of "at-risk" students, we should also provide enrichment to our brightest students. Having two children of my own who went through gifted education classes, I understand the importance of challenging our students to reach their maximum potential. For that reason, I am a strong advocate for funding of gifted education. 

• Special Education

I believe all special needs children should be afforded the opportunity for a quality education. I would be an advocate for providing funding for these important educational services. Early intervention in the lower grades, including early childhood education, would likely decrease the amount of funding necessary for providing special education services by reducing the number of students requiring special education programs. 

• Education Enhancement/Teacher Supply Fund (EEF)

As the husband of a veteran educator and former classroom teacher, I understand the amount of out-of-pocket funds teachers often spend to purchase essential classroom supplies when EEF funds are not available. Mississippi should provide teachers with adequate resources to provide quality instruction to students.  

• Teacher Salaries

Mississippi teacher salaries consistently rank below those of other states. We should establish and maintain competitive salaries to attract and retain quality teachers.  

• Chickasaw Cession Payments

I believe the state should continue to appropriate funds to those counties which have no sixteenth section lands. 

• The Public Employee Retirement System (PERS)

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

The Mississippi legislature should make every effort to broaden its revenue base. The State of Mississippi should evaluate agencies providing fee-based services to determine if such fees consistently exceed the cost of providing the related services. The State could then reallocate the excess agency funds to the State's general fund, which would broaden the State of Mississippi's revenue base. The budget process calls for setting priorities. I believe that funding for education should be a top priority and should be appropriated early in the legislative session as soon as current revenue estimates are available.  

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 would support a phase-out of elected superintendents. 

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

Mississippi should continue to partner with Teach for America (TFA). My wife currently works as a literacy coach in a school that employs several TFA teachers. She is a strong advocate for the program because of the high quality teaching she has observed and their focus on student achievement. We should provide additional support to the Mississippi Teacher Corps at the University of Mississippi. In addition, with 50% of Mississippi teachers leaving the profession within the first five years, we should improve working conditions and overall benefits for teachers to increase the retention rate. 

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

We should institute strong pre-service education programs at the university level. The standards for admittance and certification should be set to attract higher quality candidates to the teaching profession. In addition, the curriculum should be rigorous to better prepare the pre-service candidates to meet the challenges of the classroom. For existing teachers, we should change traditional expectations surrounding professional development. It should be job-embedded, on-going, individualized, and connected to student achievement. 

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

We should set high standards for admittance into educational leadership programs. In addition, the curriculum should be rigorous. Programs could be patterned after the Principal Corps Program at the University of Mississippi, requiring prospective principals to work in the field under a highly effective administrator while completing their coursework. We should recruit leaders from reputable national sources and/or those with a proven record of significantly improving student achievement within failing 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?

Yes. Early childhood education has a tremendous influence on a child's chance at academic success. We should ensure that all Mississippi children enter kindergarten ready to learn by using a combination of federal, state, local and private sources to fund pre-kindergarten and other enrichment activities in our schools. As a complement, we should develop and maintain programs through public/private partnerships to improve the quality of education being provided by private child care centers. Required performance and accountability is critical to successfully implementing a system that works.