JACKSON, MISS– Changing the leadership in your child’s school could happen with this new bill.
The Senate has passed a bill that would require all state superintendents to be appointed.
Currently, there are 144 school districts in the state. 55 of those are elected, while the rest are appointed. This bill, if it passes the House, would mean appointed superintendents by an elected school board. Nationwide, nearly all superintendents are appointed. The majority of superintendents picked at the ballot box nationwide actually live and work in Mississippi.
Governor Phil Bryant praises the efforts of the Senate, saying it is long time that Mississippi catch up in education standards.
“There is a reason that most of the nation has decided to appoint superintendents rather than elect them – because it works,” Gov. Bryant said. “Expanding the pool of candidates beyond a school district’s boundaries and removing politics from the office will better serve students, parents and teachers. I am pleased the Senate has passed this legislation, and I encourage the House to do the same. This should be the year this simple act of transformative innovation arrives in Mississippi.”
This bill, however, is not yet law. It still has to pass the House before going to the Governor’s desk to be signed into law.
