JACKSON — A bill that’s headed to Gov. Haley Barbour would give Mississippi school superintendents two years to improve students’ academic achievement in low-performing districts.
Elected superintendents who lose their jobs would not be able to run for the office again. In districts where the superintendent is appointed, the school board would choose a successor.
The House and Senate approved the final version of the Senate Bill 2149 on Tuesday. Supporters say the plan would improve accountability.
Area legislators voting against the bill were Rep. Bobby Moak, D-Bogue Chitto; Sen. Kelvin Butler, D-Magnolia, and Sen. Bob Dearing, D-Natchez. Voting for it were Sens. Sid Albritton R-Picayune, Cyndi Hyde-Smith D-Brookhaven, and Reps. Angela Cockerham D-Magnolia, Sam Mims R-McComb and Bill Pigott, R-Tylertown. Present but not voting was David Myers D-McComb.
Mims said he is pleased the bill passed, and said it’s a good step toward school improvement.
“I believe, for the first time in many years, we’ve passed legislation that would try to make our schools accountable for actions and performance,” Mims said.
“I’ve said many times that money does not solve our education problems,” he said. “We want everybody to be accountable for their actions — children, parents, teachers, principals and superintendents. I think this is our first step to improving education.”
Mims said the bill gives a sense of urgency for underperforming schools to bring up scores, but parents must step up to the plate.
“We’ve got to get to a situation where parents understand how important education is to their children and their future,” he said.
“We can’t legislate morality or responsibility. … We have to make that impression on parents that is so important. And they have to take responsibility. Parents play a large role in educating their children.”
Critics of the bill worry that it would disproportionally hurt poor schools and would make it harder for those districts to find qualified people willing to work as administrators.
Butler said he voted against the bill because he believes it unfairly punishes a newly elected superintendent who inherits a poor-performing school district.
“The problem I had with the bill was (concerning) a new superintendent who walked into a situation that was already bad,” Butler said. “It’s not fair to drop that superintendent after two years without giving him or her a chance. I agree we’ve got to do something to get the standards up. … But the last thing a superintendent needs is to be kicked out after two years after running on a platform of making things better.”
And, Butler noted, there are underperforming districts with appointed superintendents in Mississippi, too.
“As long as you get the right results, it doesn’t matter if they’re appointed or elected. I want to make sure we’re getting the best results,” Butler said.
Dearing said he had similar reservations about the bill, and also voted against it.
“I asked a lot of questions on the floor concerning what would happen if a new superintendent came in and inherited low performing schools and does everything he can,” said Dearing, a former educator. “There were a lot of things I had problems with.”
Dearing said he believes teachers are under pressure to bring up their school levels begin “teaching for tests,” and the intended curriculum can get lost in the mix as teachers and administrators scramble to keep their jobs.
“There’s no clear answer as to the best way to go,” Dearing said, referring to elected or appointed superintendents.
There are 15 low-performing school districts in the state. That rank is given if 50 percent or more of the schools in the district are ranked at Level 1 or Level 2.
Still, Dearing said, “The intent of the legislation is good. It’s going to get a lot of educators’ attention, and I’m sure that superintendents will instruct their teachers to do a better job in the classroom.”
