Category: Education
[Release] Youth to Storm Capitol on Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Verbatim from the Mississippi Coalition for the Prevention of Schoolhouse to Jailhouse:
What: Over 200 youth will rally in support of juvenile justice and school discipline reform in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King. Jr. Chairman George Flaggs, Jr, and Senator John Horhn are confirmed speakers. They will join other lawmakers and hundreds of children from across the state to rally in support of 2007 legislation that closes the pipeline leading Mississippi?s children from the school house to the jailhouse.
When: Monday, January 15, 2007 from 10:00 am-12:00 pm
? Where: Mississippi State Capitol, South steps (Rain location: Capitol Rotunda)
? Why: Despite two years of substantial reforms, too many of Mississippi?s children languish in prisons and jails.? Many of our young people are pushed out of school by disparate discipline policies. This rally is in support of critical reforms that will improve the systems created to support Mississippi?s families:
Posted by ladd at 02:29 PM on 01/12/07. Discuss (0)
[Desk] House Passes MAEP After Huge Education Rally
Adam Lynch of the Jackson Free Press reports:
The House came out swinging this morning, passing through five bills through floor votes.
The most significant bill the House passed was was HB 238, a bill fully funding The Mississippi Adequate Education Program with more than $2 billion. After an hour-long debate, the vote passed 119 to 1, with only Republican Rep. Steve Horne, of Meridian, holding out in opposition.
Lawmakers like Rep. Jim Ellington, R-Raymond, voiced some concern at the idea of fully funding MAEP this early in the session, saying he would prefer to see the final revenue estimate in March before going forward with the vote. He and others consoled their fears with the belief that the Senate would delay its own approval of the bill well into the session.
Posted by ladd at 10:01 PM on 01/11/07. Discuss (0)
[Desk] New State Poll Shows Support for MAEP, Eminent-Domain Bill
A new ZataPulse statewide survey, released Jan. 9, shows that 49 percent of Mississippians believe the Mississippi Adequate Education Program should be funded before any other state govrnment need. Another 38 percent says it is a priority and can wait a few weeks. Only 6 percent said it is not a priority, and 7 percent were undecided. The poll also found that a whopping 76 percent believe that government should not take private land from one person and sell it to somebody else, regardless of the jobs that would be creeated.
Posted by ladd at 12:05 PM on 01/11/07. Discuss (2)
MAEP Rally Descends on Capitol
Derrick Johnson, chapter president of the Mississippi NAACP, speaks to a rally in favor of full funding the Mississippi Adequate Education Program. The Mississippi House is expected to vote on the measure today.
(Photo credit: Brian Johnson. Click image for larger version.)
Posted by admin at 11:34 AM on 01/11/07. Discuss (0)
[Analysis] Legislative Round-up, Week 1
Here’s Adam Lynch’s take on Week 1 in the JFP:
Rep. Bill Denny, R-Jackson, called the bill onslaught a ?political action,? by House Democratic leaders to characterize Republicans as unsympathetic to Mississippi Adequate Education Program and state employees.
?What leaders have done is cut off one-half of that membership,? Denny said. ?In my 20 years of working in the House, we always had a reasonable situation in the House where we could disagree in a manner that would get something done. But (House Speaker) Billy (McCoy) putting forward those bills without letting us review them, the idea of him doing these kinds of things doesn?t serve the public at all. I can?t imagine that he wouldn?t have considered that a rule suspension?wouldn?t have happened.?
Posted by ladd at 03:43 PM on 01/10/07. Discuss (2)
[Opinion] Editorial: Must We Fight This (Education) Fight Again?
From the Clarion-Ledger’s Editorial board:
...House Republicans voted as a block against a procedural move that would’ve allowed a quick vote, prompting House Speaker Billy McCoy, D-Rienzi, to say he was “shocked beyond comprehension” by the “obviously organized opposition.”
This, after Gov. Barbour softened his opposition to fully funding MAEP, telling The Associated Press: “I fully expect us to have enough money” so that “it’s funded at 100 percent.”
What were the lawmakers thinking?
http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/2007
Posted by admin at 12:48 PM on 01/08/07. Discuss (0)
[Release] 42 House Members Delay MAEP
[Verbatim Release] The 2007 Session of the Mississippi Legislature convened today (Tuesday, January 2, 2007). As promised by the House leadership, the Mississippi House of Representatives took up bills that call for full funding of the MAEP (House Bill 238) and funding for a 3% teacher pay raise. The House leadership had vowed to show that providing our children a quality education was their number one priority by passing out a full funding bill the first day of the session.
Posted by admin at 12:33 PM on 01/03/07. Discuss (0)
[Web] House to Pass MAEP Today?
It’s the second day of the session and the House Republicans will, reportedly, not have a procedural block to fall back on against MAEP funding. MAEP may well pass the House today and head to the Senate. More as it develops…
Posted by admin at 10:40 AM on 01/03/07. Discuss (0)
[News] A House In a Hurry
by Adam Lynch
Jan. 2, 2007
This story will appear in the print edition on Jan. 3.
Within hours of the Legislature convening on Jan. 2, the House Appropriations Committee approved a total of seven money bills seeking attention with little dissent. H.B. 238, a bill seeking to fully fund the Mississippi Adequate Education Program for more than $2.2 billion easily passed the committee, although Rep. Bill Denny, R-Jackson, complained that the budgetary figures for the session were not recent enough to be a reliable gauge upon which to base a vote. He added that other priorities such as the Department of Corrections and Medicaid needed more immediate attention.
?The people elected me to a $13 billion fiduciary,? Denny argued. ?Now how can I go out in the public and vote on one of these bills, and somebody says ?Bill, tell me about that MAEP,? and I say, ?Well, I don?t know anything about it. I walked into the chamber, it was hanging on the hoof, and we voted on it???
Posted by admin at 10:20 PM on 01/02/07. Discuss (0)
