November 6, 2014, Jackson, MS – Today, Southern Echo released a new MAP which illustrates:
A. the cumulative millions of dollars each district has lost due to systematic underfunding of the MS Adequate Education Program (MAEP) by the legislature in the appropriation budgets of the past 6 fiscal years (FY 2010 through FY 2015); and
B. the extent of such losses in each district imposed by the legislature in the budget for FY 2015 (2014-2015 school year), specifically.
C. the accountability grade rank WITHOUT WAIVER that each local school district received from the MS Dept. of Education for the 2014-2015 school year.
The State Board of Education has changed the accountability standards for district and school grade ranks. This year is the first year of the application of the new standards. FOR THIS YEAR ONLY the MS Dept. of Education has issued two (2) grade ranks to each school district.
GRADE RANK WITHOUT WAIVER: The Grade Rank Without Waiver shows the actual grade rank for the district based on the application of the new standards. This grade is known as the grade rank without waiver.
GRADE RANK WITH WAIVER: The Grade Rank With Waiver provides a waiver of the application of the new standards to those districts ambien online us pharmacy that suffered a reduction in grade rank as the result of the application of the new standards. The districts buy phentermine tablets online that suffered a reduction in grade rank have been given an alternative grade rank that is the same grade rank the district received in the prior school year before the standards had been changed.
We have chosen in the map to use the grade rank WITHOUT WAIVER to illustrate the impact of the new accountability standards adopted by the State Board of Education.
Some state leaders talk about wanting to operate public education like a business. But we have to question their notion of an effective business plan. It is never a good business plan to operate with far less money than is needed to get the job done effectively.
Yet year in and year out the legislature has been providing far less money than is needed to get the job done effectively. The proof in the pudding is that Mississippi continues to rank very high nationally in accountability standards, but at the bottom in funding, implementation and performance. As a business plan it is wrong-headed to continue to do every year what we know is undercutting the capacity of the school districts to get the job done effectively.
If you find any errors or lack of clarity in the map, please let me know so that we can make appropriate corrections.
