Schools must have extended funding to implement redesign plan successfull

By Hank Bounds
State Superintendent of Education
July 17, 2006

Mississippi schools meet numerous challenges every day. From the first bus run in the morning until the last child arrives back at home in the afternoon, schools make a thousand pieces of the puzzle, from stimulating instruction to wonderful teachers, from nutritious meals to safe buildings and buses, come together to provide each child with an excellent education.

This is no easy task. It takes a tremendous amount of commitment and dedication from all staff members. School officials are masters at stretching their resources as far as possible to accomplish all of these tasks.

The draft plan, Redesigning Education for the 21 st Century Workforce in Mississippi, includes a number of ambitious goals, which, of course, require adequate resources to accomplish. We cannot burden school budgets that are already stretched thin with additional demands if we do not support them with additional funds. We must provide extended funding to Mississippi school districts that will support an effective learning environment for all Mississippi students.

The redesign plan concentrates heavily on technology, both teaching it to students and utilizing it to improve teaching and learning. Lab, classroom and equipment upgrades represent the largest share of the budget. It is important for students to have the opportunity to learn using the best equipment. Expanding online course offerings and providing on-demand professional development necessitate having the technology and technology infrastructure to handle these demands.

One of the goals of the plan is to provide Mississippi educators with high quality, standards-based professional learning opportunities that will prepare instructors to implement new curricula and increase student achievement, course placement and completion. Professional development represents a significant portion of the budget and would be provided to teachers, counselors, special population educators, and administrators. Professional development would also include training on the new technology being used.

The budget also include funds for curriculum development and increased teacher units for the career counselors that would be needed to help guide students as they make choices in choosing career paths and the coursework to achieve the goals they set for themselves in those careers.

Certainly, $120 million is a significant investment. However, when weighed against the benefits to the individual students and in the future economic development of our state that having a work force that is not just prepared to, but designed to, meet the 21 st century needs of businesses in Mississippi, it truly seems a bargain. In fact, we can't afford not to make this investment.

(Contact: Caron Blanton, APR, Director of Communications, 601-359-3706 .)