Election 2011

Candidates for
Lt. Governor
State of Mississippi

All candidates for this office were offered a questionnaire by The Parents’ Campaign regarding education issues.

Responses appear below. The winner of the November 8, 2011, general election is indicated below.
 
Tracella Lou O'Hara          Tate Reeves - WINNER
  
Tracella Lou O'Hara
NO RESPONSE  
 
Tate Reeves- WINNER
What is your vision for Mississippi, and how does education fit into that vision?
My goal is to further improve the business and economic development climate in Mississippi in order to attract more jobs to our state. To do that successfully we must improve the education attainment level of our citizens and endeavor to provide a world-class education not only to our youth and young adults but also to adults who continue learning through workforce education.
 
What do you see as the greatest challenge facing Mississippi schools and how will you address it?
Funding is likely the greatest challenge, along with the need to refurbish structures, retain teachers, recruit teachers, provide access to technology and the need to increase parental involvement and responsibility, all of which require funding. While it can’t be done in one year and may be a multi-year process, we must continue to make strides towards fully funding MAEP.
 
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? 
It may take more than two legislative sessions, but yes, I do support full funding for MAEP.
 
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, I will work to make significant strides in getting closer to fully funding MAEP if I am elected Lt. Governor.
 
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’m a strong believer in this program and support continuing to fund higher salaries for national board certified teachers.
 
• Vocational Education
I support career and technical education in our schools. I believe the links between CTE curriculum, the needs of business and industry in Mississippi and programs at our community and junior colleges should be strengthened in order to best prepare our young people for careers in our state and to provide the skilled workforce our employers need.
 
• Gifted Education
I believe we should invest more in our most capable students and provide more opportunities for challenging them, developing their talents and abilities, and retaining them for the pursuit of higher education and careers in our state.
 
• Special Education
We must provide an environment where special needs students can achieve to the highest-level possible. Where these students are served in regular classrooms there should be some funding consideration.
 
• Education Enhancement/Teacher Supply Fund (EEF)
I believe we must provide our teachers with the materials they need to teach most effectively.
 
• Teacher Salaries
It’s time for teacher pay increases. Better pay will help us recruit and retain better teachers.
 
• Chickasaw Cession Payments
These payments are determined by the state constitution and rulings by the Fifth Circuit Court.
 
• The Public Employee Retirement System (PERS)
Promises made to public employees must be kept. I recently went against members of my own party and a majority of the PERS board to support increasing the employer contribution rate. It is my fiduciary responsibility as a PERS board member to see that the fund is solvent and able to pay benefits over the long term. I believe the time to address our funding challenges is now, and delaying them will only exacerbate the problem.
 
How can Mississippi get creative to ensure sufficient revenue to fully fund education and other vital state services?
With over 60% of the state’s general fund budget going to education, increasing the number of jobs and the number of taxpayers in Mississippi will directly lead to higher education funding. With education rightfully being the state’s single largest expense, we must measure funding against improvements in student achievement and insist on progress being made as funding is increased. Additionally, I believe we can find more efficiencies in some school functions and operations like purchasing.
 
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?
Yes, I support moving to appointed superintendents.
 
What would you do to address Mississippi’s teacher shortage?
Teachers are the most critical component of the state’s responsibility in the education process. They are on the frontlines, and they need to be supported with good policy that includes better student discipline in the classroom and stronger administrative support. We can do this in part by:
  • Creating a commission comprised primarily of teachers to determine what can be done to address classroom management issues – one of the top reasons teachers give for leaving the classroom.
  • Increasing teacher salaries and improving performance measures.
  • Supporting programs like the Barksdale Institute’s work in developing effective principals. Better teachers begin with better principals.
  • Improving alternate route certification programs.
What steps should be taken to improve the quality of teaching in Mississippi?
I believe my answer above containing ideas on trying to address the teacher shortage will help improve the quality of teaching. Continuing to encourage participation in the National Board Certification Program is also an important aspect of improving the quality of instruction in our classrooms.
 
What steps should be taken to improve the overall quality of Mississippi school leaders?
Expanding programs like the Barksdale Institute’s work to develop more effective principals would be a good start. Providing performance incentives and improved performance measures should also be considered.
 
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?
Chief among my many concerns about the quality of education in our state is the need for improvement in early childhood education. Mississippi has many programs supporting early childhood education, but they are not connected in a systemic way. We can continue making progress in early childhood education by building on the progress already begun by recent public and private sector advances. This will ensure that our youngest citizens will have access to quality, affordable childcare that enables them to start school ready to learn. We can achieve this in part by:
  • Supporting efforts to build a coherent system of delivery in the state that leads to greater efficiencies and measurable outcomes (working with such existing entities as the State Early Childhood Advisory Council (SECAC) in the Governor’s Office and the Mississippi Center for Education Innovation (MSCEI), a Kellogg sponsored 501c3).
  • Leveraging federal programs like Head Start and Title I to enhance state early education efforts.
    • Head Start partners with many public school districts to share resources like buses and property
    • 42 of 152 school districts in Mississippi have Title I funded Pre-K
  •  When it makes sense, support the development of private sector programs like Excel by 5 and Mississippi Building Blocks.