Friday, October 20, 2017

Phil, this is no time to go wobbly.

"Remember George, this is no time to go wobbly"  
What Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher said to President George Bush

Governor Phil Bryant is channeling his inner Tito and trying to find a "third way" in handling the takeover of Jackson Public Schools. The AP reported yesterday:


Mississippi's governor is again voicing skepticism about allowing the state to take over the capital city's public school district.

Gov. Phil Bryant said Wednesday that he's seeking a "third way" between no action and declaring an emergency. That latter move means the Mississippi Department of Education would depose current leaders and appoint an interim superintendent.

The state Board of Education last month asked Bryant to sign an emergency declaration, citing state rule violations.
Bryant earlier said he wanted to see whether the 27,000-student district would improve its F rating when grades are released Thursday.

Education officials say Jackson's outcome will be among the state's worst.

Bryant says he's consulted with the Kellogg Foundation, saying the foundation is supporting struggling schools in its hometown of Battle Creek, Michigan.
 Uh-oh.  The Governor is thinking again.  Perhaps he should read the law because the only power the Governor has under the law is to sign the declaration.  The law gives sole authority for administering the takeover to the Board of Education.   Governor Bryant's only power is to either sign or refuse to sign the declaration.  That's it. SB #2431 was passed last year and changed the takeover procedures.  The bill states (line 271):

(If one of several stated conditions are met) the State Board of Education may request the Governor to declare a state of emergency in that school district. For  purposes of this paragraph, the declarations of a state of emergency shall not be limited to those instances when a school  district's impairments are related to a lack of financial resources, but also shall include serious failure to meet minimum  academic standards, as evidenced by a continued pattern of poor student performance.
The Governor only has a limited set of options:

(c)  Whenever the Governor declares a state of emergency in a school district in response to a request made under paragraph  (a) or (b) of this subsection, the State Board of Education may take one or more of the following actions...
All prescribed actions are those taken by the Board, not the Governor. He has no review power once he declares a state of emergency. He simply does his best Homer Simpson impersonation and fades into the background.  The next several sections of the bill outline what measures the Board can take.  MDE can replace the school board and the superintendent.  It can "in its discretion, contract with a private entity with experience in the academic, finance and other operational functions of schools and school districts" (line 328).  It is hard to see how Governor Bryant can place JPS under the direction of the Kellog Foundation or any other entity when the bill only gives him the power to sign a declaration provided by MDE.



This website has grave concerns about the ability of MDE to takeover JPS.  The district will not be relinquished to local control until it has earned a C rating for five years so MDE is stuck with this problem for quite some time.  Given Dr. Wright's penchant for awarding crony contracts, there is a reasonable fear that one of her Maryland cronies such as Elton Stokes will parachute into JPS with a nice fat consulting contract in hand.  However, this website has also reported on the dire conditions facing Jackson's schoolchildren.

The district needs to be blown up and rebuilt. Period.  Rip off the band-aids, tear up the contracts, consolidate schools, get rid of the cronies, and give those kids the education they deserve.  If that steps on some toes or hurts some feelings, oh well.  Most of the people protesting against a state takeover are more interested in protecting turf than educating Jackson's children.   The fight against the takeover is more about protecting their pals who are lining pockets, passing out jobs, and "working the system", education be damned.  They didn't say a word while JPS floundered for years.  The only thing they care about is whether some Republicans (code word alert) are going to interfere with their sweetheart deals. Protest & Protect is their motto.

The Governor should notice  it is the so-called community leaders who are protesting, not the  parents of the children who are incarcerated in the JPS prison.  They know their kids are getting a raw deal but are powerless to do anything about it.    They have no voice.  They aren't connected.  They just suffer.

There is also the matter of the Republican base.  The Governor has made much noise about educational reform during his tenure.  Many Republicans bought into his efforts and went to war to get those reforms passed.  It is understandable that the Governor wants the community to be engaged in takeover of JPS, however, he should not hold the future of JPS hostage to that goal.  The Governor should sign the order, let MDE rip off the bandaids, and then engage the community.

Don't go wobbly, Governor.

25 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hear! Hear!

Anonymous said...

Beautifully, succinctly, logically, and accurately stated.

Anonymous said...

The problem is there are no good options. JPS is fundamentally broken. Does anyone really believe that MDE is going to fix it? Or even knows how? Or if they do know how, are actually willing to do it?

Anonymous said...

I voted for the Governor Bryant, and Lt. Governor Tate Reeves, and I'll be so glad when both are out of office. That means I "WILL NOT" be voting for Tate for governor if he runs. They have done "NOTHING" in the past 3 years.

They always "RUN SCARED" on tough decisions.

Don't be scared Phil; "SIGN THE DAMN ORDER"!!!!!! Prove you have balls!!!!!

Anonymous said...

I totally agree that Jackson has crossed the line and the law must be followed. The governor has run headlong into the reality that the legislature of Mississippi has a rural focus and did not consider all repercussions involved in takeover of any of the few large districts in this state. At the time they probably didn't care. But now surrounding districts which might seem secure at first glance, are hollering to high heaven, and the gov is stuck. Charter schools make for good rhetoric but are not the answer. Surrounding districts could take a hit from which they won't soon recover. Bite the bullet.

Anonymous said...

For the life of me I can not understand why the parents and guardians of these kids are not rioting in the streets in support of the takeover of JPS. The only question I would have is "what took you so damn long". In a day when protests are becoming a dime a dozen (everybody has a cause), it boggles my mind that people get so worked up about perceived slights and imaginary wars on certain classes of people. If I called for a protest on Trump, I could get 1000 protestors to show up and at the end of the day, whoever is president has almost no effect on the life of the average person. But, this is a real issue, with real consequences and all I hear is that "the man" better keep his hands off our schools. Gee, where's the outrage. We've lost our way.

Anonymous said...

Perhaps the State should forget about the airport and do the legal thing and try to relieve the plight of these children trapped in a failing system and dooming them to a life without adequate preparation.

It is obvious that the system in Jackson is broken for many and that the schools are incapable of change because no matter who they have chosen for a leader in recent years, nothing gets better, despite the salary. The good schools are even beginning to decrease in value given. These children will never have another chance that are there now.

Anonymous said...


MDE couldn't "close an umbrella", so they damn sure aren't the solution to anything.

Privatize JPS.

Fire every mofo over there and start over. For what they're spending (wasting) per student, they can get a private school level education.

This will work.

Toucan Sam said...

I might be coo coo for cocoa puffs, but Kellogg is THE industry of Battle Creek which is just down the road from Detroit. Short of changing the name of Jackson to New Detroit, maybe Gov. Phil should turn to local Jackson MS industry for help. How about Nissan? There you go. Nissan. Got mo money than Kellogg and they can replace the State Flag with the Rising Sun at all of the JPS schools. Kill 2 birds with one stone. Oh wait, I'm a bird and Biloxi has already killed a mockingbird.

Anonymous said...

Phil is too weak to govern and MDE is very poorly run.

Anonymous said...

11:02 This might be difficult for you to understand, but please try. The vast, vast, majority of the people of Jackson do not trust anything coming from THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI. This distrust did not begin yesterday and it will not end tomorrow. Most of these parents would love someone to take over these failing schools and right the ship, but they do not believe this state government led by this governor and this legislature gives a damn about them. Wonder why?

If the U.S. Department of Education were taking over JPS they would have a parade welcoming them to Jackson. But not in your part of town, I'm sure.

Anonymous said...

Seems clear that the Guv is scared of the "R" card being used against him. And the "R" is not for Republican. Just ask yourself this: If JPS was a majority white district would he even hesitate? I think not.

Anonymous said...

Listen, I get that there's a trust deficit between black Jacksonians and the state GOP. I really do.

But here's the thing: I don't care. This isn't fighting over an airport or a mixed-use development. This is thousands of kids every year being robbed of the chance to have successful lives by a city that has proven itself, over and over, to be criminally negligent, corrupt, and incompetent.

Yes, Phil, some people are going to hate you for this. But you're a second term governor whose party never gets a single vote out of Jackson anyway.

If you were ever going to grow a pair of balls, now would be the time.

noel said...

Who in their right mind would want to take it over? No one, that's who.

Anonymous said...

As an aside........if schools are taken over, the airport is taken over, the Utilities are chaos (think water/sewer) and parts of Jackson are in the Capitol zone for security reasons and policed by the state ......what are we paying taxes for in NE Jackson? If we can prove we are paying for services we are not receiving, why can't we re-incorporate as our own city? File whatever petitions are required to start the process under the current super majority in the state government. Fill me on why this will not work? Why do we have to continue to pay for something that is totally and completely broken with no ability to intercede based on the current demographic culture?

Anonymous said...

MDE couldn't replace a lightbulb. - an MDE employee.

Anonymous said...

Besides the issue of who takes over what school district, there is the issue of the supposed "3rd choice" in this particular matter. There is no legal 3rd choice. So whether we think MDE can do anything with the school system (and right now it's probably the equivalent of a choice between a guillotine or chainsaw) the die is already cast. When we did not vigorously challenge the making-law-by-executive-order, executive orders for making/changing laws started becoming the norm. A "3rd choice" in this instance is the same thing. I'm not okay with that.

Anonymous said...

@12:48, currently the light bulbs are being broken and stolen. Not knowing how to change them would still be an improvement.

Anonymous said...

or could this be a vote of "no confidence" for the MDE?

Anonymous said...

Hope JPS gets their act together, too many now migrating to Rankin County for an education. Just a matter of time till they ruin Rankin County schools.

Anonymous said...

No matter who is at the helm of the Titanic, it's still going to sink.

Anonymous said...

All Phil is really worried about is the black flight to the suburbs where his grandchildren will go to school.

Anonymous said...

I don't know Phil but those I know who do say he is as dumb as dirt. I think they are right.

Anonymous said...

I question whether MDE has the ability to takeover JPS. MDE is supposed to offer guidance and help to the districts so that they will not be put in a takeover situation. Obviously, this has not occurred with JPS. With al the reports, and audits required of the districts, MDE cannot say they were unaware of the JPS situation. Why did they not bring in a team of educational specialists at the time to help the district Which would have been a lot cheaper than a state takeover. Hopefully, if the governor does approve a takeover, the State Board will keep the current superintendent from giving lucrative contracts to her cronies in Maryland. Hopefully, the Governor will ask for a plan from MDE to accomplish the goal of improving JPS, a timeline, and who they plan to hire to accomplish the goal, and to remember its about the children and not adults.

Anonymous said...

11:02 . . . . Amen!



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