FAST FACTS:
(DeSoto County, MS 1/25/2012) Mississippi’s new Governor wants to spend more money in the state’s classrooms and less on overhead.
The plan is to give students, and the State, the best chance to succeed.
The news came in Governor Phil Bryant’s “State of the State” speech Tuesday.
Educators and parents in DeSoto County are praising Bryant for investing in areas that can bring results.
It means the state’s largest, and fastest growing school district will get money back the state took away in the last budget and it may also get to add new programs to put more Mississippians to work.
Joyce Helmick says teachers work harder than ever these days, ”It’s been very tough these last, not just the last couple of years, the last several years, so many of our schools are underfunded. Our young teachers leaving the profession so we don’t have that enthusiasm in the classroom. I’m working overtime, if you know what I mean.”
But she’s glad to hear Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant wants to put more money in the classroom and spend less on overhead to improve education in the State.
It comes after budget battles left education across the state with less and less, especially in high growth areas like DeSoto County, where Olive Branch is said to be the fastest growing city in the country.
”They cut the high-growth funding last year by fifty percent which cut DeSoto County Schools three million dollars. We got less money per student than any school district in the state,” said DeSoto School Superintendent Milton Kuykendall.
Bryant would restore that money, but that’s not all.
The Governor says only about 20 percent of jobs require a college education, but almost all Mississippi’s students are in a college preparatory program.
So he wants to put money into vocational programs to teach students trades and jobs to fill the state’s burgeoning manufacturing base.
”We need to put more stuff in work skills, technology skills those jobs, so kids can make a living at those jobs.” said Kuykendall.
Bryant wants to consolidate back office functions, like personnel, purchasing, and administration to one per county.
That would save money, which he’d put right back into classrooms like the one where Joyce Helmick teaches, ”If you don’t have a great education system that’s holding these students together and keeping them, so to speak, out of trouble, then your community suffers in that way also.”
In fact, Mr. Kuykendall is working on putting together a vocational pilot program that could be a model for the state.
It would put students more interested in trades than college on a different track and prepare them for jobs right out of school.
Governor Bryant will send his budget proposal to the capital next week.
- Governor outlines plans to restore money cut from high growth districts
- DeSoto at top of list to benefit
- Money also to be invested in job training and not just college prep
(DeSoto County, MS 1/25/2012) Mississippi’s new Governor wants to spend more money in the state’s classrooms and less on overhead.
The plan is to give students, and the State, the best chance to succeed.
The news came in Governor Phil Bryant’s “State of the State” speech Tuesday.
Educators and parents in DeSoto County are praising Bryant for investing in areas that can bring results.
It means the state’s largest, and fastest growing school district will get money back the state took away in the last budget and it may also get to add new programs to put more Mississippians to work.
Joyce Helmick says teachers work harder than ever these days, ”It’s been very tough these last, not just the last couple of years, the last several years, so many of our schools are underfunded. Our young teachers leaving the profession so we don’t have that enthusiasm in the classroom. I’m working overtime, if you know what I mean.”
But she’s glad to hear Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant wants to put more money in the classroom and spend less on overhead to improve education in the State.
It comes after budget battles left education across the state with less and less, especially in high growth areas like DeSoto County, where Olive Branch is said to be the fastest growing city in the country.
”They cut the high-growth funding last year by fifty percent which cut DeSoto County Schools three million dollars. We got less money per student than any school district in the state,” said DeSoto School Superintendent Milton Kuykendall.
Bryant would restore that money, but that’s not all.
The Governor says only about 20 percent of jobs require a college education, but almost all Mississippi’s students are in a college preparatory program.
So he wants to put money into vocational programs to teach students trades and jobs to fill the state’s burgeoning manufacturing base.
”We need to put more stuff in work skills, technology skills those jobs, so kids can make a living at those jobs.” said Kuykendall.
Bryant wants to consolidate back office functions, like personnel, purchasing, and administration to one per county.
That would save money, which he’d put right back into classrooms like the one where Joyce Helmick teaches, ”If you don’t have a great education system that’s holding these students together and keeping them, so to speak, out of trouble, then your community suffers in that way also.”
In fact, Mr. Kuykendall is working on putting together a vocational pilot program that could be a model for the state.
It would put students more interested in trades than college on a different track and prepare them for jobs right out of school.
Governor Bryant will send his budget proposal to the capital next week.
