Recent editorials from Mississippi newspapers:
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July 16
Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal on the state Board of Education inviting public comment on proposed changes to high school diplomas:
Students, parents and teachers have an opportunity for the next 30 days to weigh in on proposed changes to the diplomas offered to Mississippi’s young people graduating from high school.
At a meeting last week, the Mississippi Board of Education voted to invite public comment on a proposal that would offer students the opportunity to earn an endorsement with their high school diploma and would aim to have the majority of students with disabilities earn a traditional diploma.
The options being discussed would offer a traditional diploma for all students, as well as an alternate diploma option for students with significant cognitive disabilities, as reported by the Daily Journal’s Emma Crawford Kent.
Students will also have the opportunity to earn additional credits to qualify for a traditional diploma with a Career and Technical Education (CTE) endorsement, an academic endorsement or a distinguished academic endorsement. Students can earn more than one endorsement.
The options appear to offer students a more direct opportunity to work toward specific goals that might benefit them when they leave high school - whether that’s continuing their education at a college or university or entering the workforce directly.
Currently, Mississippi high school students can earn one of five diploma options - career pathway (21 credits), district option (21 credits), early exit exam (17.5 credits), traditional pathway (24 credits) and the Mississippi Occupation Diploma option, which is offered only for students with special needs.
A Senate bill passed during the 2017 legislative session, however, did away with both the career pathway and occupational diploma options beginning in the upcoming school year, according to reporting by Mississippi Today.
In the proposed changes, the traditional diploma will still require all students graduating from Mississippi high schools to have the same basic requirements and to earn 24 credits. After meeting those requirements, students could take additional coursework to meet the requirements for the CTE endorsement (26 credits) or advanced, college-preparation coursework to earn an academic (26 credits) or distinguished academic endorsement (28 credits).
Along with the new diploma requirements, students who wish to leave early during their senior year will have to meet benchmarks indicating they’re ready for college or career and don’t need to stay for a full school day to take additional courses to prepare them.
The proposed diploma options will be open for public comment for 30 days at www.mde.k12.ms.us/PN/APA.
As with any changes to processes or procedures that will impact students, we encourage extensive discussion by all stakeholders - ranging from parents to teachers - on the proposal before action is taken.
Online: https://www.djournal.com/
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July 16
The Hattiesburg American on University of Southern Mississippi president Rodney Bennett:
Rodney Bennett wasn’t even officially Southern Miss’ president yet when the Feb. 10, 2013, tornado hit. That didn’t stop him from coming to campus to help lead the recovery efforts.
We were impressed with Bennett’s leadership then, and we’re just as impressed more than four years into his tenure as the university’s president.
The Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning recently gave Bennett a $72,630 raise, which boosted his salary to $464,500 a year. (The raise came from the IHL to help make his base salary consistent with those of other presidents at research universities in the system.)
Sounds like a nice raise, right? But it’s one that Bennett won’t keep.
“I am sensitive this increase comes at a time when so many employees have not received pay increases, have had positions eliminated or have had positions in their units unfilled,” he wrote in a July 6 email to the campus community.
“As such, I have decided to use this salary increase to endow a second scholarship through the USM Foundation.”
We applaud Bennett for his kindness and generosity.
In October 2013, the Hattiesburg American’s editorial board met with Bennett.
Even though he had only been on the job about six months at the time, it was easy to see his focus was on students and their education.
Using his raise to endow a scholarship shows his focus remains on the students and their education.
Each Southern Miss president has faced his or her own set of challenges in leading the university.
Bennett’s presidency is no different:
.State funding was cut by $7.96 million. To help deal with funding cuts, three employees recently lost their jobs, and another 33 vacant positions were eliminated.
.Enrollment is down, dropping from 16,046 in fall 2012 to 14,554 in fall 2016. Officials are cautiously optimistic enrollment will increase this fall.
.A draft reorganization plan is being considered that makes significant changes to the academic structure at the university.
Southern Miss needs a strong leader to help it navigate these challenging times, and Bennett is just that.
Since arriving on the Hattiesburg campus shortly after the 2013 tornado, Bennett has continually shown he is the kind of leader who can effectively take Southern Miss to the top.
Online: https://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/
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July 18
Picayune Item on the state Board of Education working to change high school graduation requirements:
In four years, Mississippi high school diplomas could look a little different.
The state Board of Education is working on new graduation requirements that would not only simplify the state’s diplomas, but also increase the amount of credits needed to graduate.
If passed, the new guidelines would reduce the state’s five current diploma options to just two.
The Board of Education believes that by increasing the requirements to graduate, high school students will be more prepared for college and will need less remediation.
With just two diplomas, a traditional one and an alternative diploma for those with significant cognitive disabilities, the state and its students can be more assured of a diploma’s recognition by employers and higher education programs, something the occupational diploma reportedly has issues with.
The new requirements wouldn’t change much from the current standard diploma, except for a yearlong college and career readiness and an additional math class.
Simplifying the state’s diploma program and the requirements needed to get there is clearly necessary, even for students who aren’t planning to attend college after graduation.
Requiring students to take more classes and further their education while still in high school better prepares them for the many years ahead in the workforce.
Some students would still be able to graduate early, putting them ahead, through academic, distinguished or career and technical endorsements. Before a student is able to graduate, the state, educators, parents and administrators needs to do the best possible job in ensuring they are ready and prevent the need for remediation later on.
If this is approved, we hope that the students in Pearl River County continue to exceed their learning abilities and go on to become successful working adults who stay in Mississippi.
Online: https://www.picayuneitem.com/
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