VWSD Superintendent serves on study group for bill establishing Commission on Education & Economic Competitiveness 

Published 10:45 am Friday, January 20, 2023

Representative Gregory Holloway, Sr. officially filed new legislation that would establish a statewide commission focused on building a vision for Mississippi’s future economy and strengthening the state’s education system to prepare all students to succeed in that new economy.

Holloway called the legislation critical to creating a more prosperous Mississippi that is able to fully thrive in the decades ahead.

“I am proud to introduce this landmark bill,” Holloway said. “Our future success as a state and as communities across it depends on building a stronger economy that produces good-paying jobs for more Mississippians. In order to create that stronger future economy, we’ll need to ensure our schools, educators, and students have the resources and systems in place to develop the skills and knowledge required for that new world of work. The bill will ensure we have a roadmap to do exactly that.”

House Bill 823 calls for the creation of the independent research-based Commission on Education and Economic Competitiveness. The commission would be charged with the following:

1. Reexamining Mississippi’s vision for education, workforce, and economic development to guide future reform efforts;
2. Analyzing the design features of high-performing education systems globally;
3. Creating a set of recommendations and a long-term plan with key stakeholders to enable the state’s education system to attain world-class levels of performance; and
4. Developing legislative recommendations to implement and ensure oversight of those policy recommendations.

The bill is the outgrowth of the Mississippi International Education Legislative Study Group — a statewide study group of educators, elected officials, state department leaders, business leaders and workforce and economic development leaders. Its work was made possible with generous support from The Phil Hardin Foundation and Dr. Clyde Muse. The Study Group met between January and August of 2022 to examine top-performing education systems, analyze their common elements, and consider how these strategies might be adapted to strengthen the education system in Mississippi.

The Study Group recently released a report on their initial findings, which would serve as a foundation for the Commission authorized by Rep. Holloway’s legislation.

The bill’s introduction was lauded by education leaders from around the state who served on the Study Group including Chad Shealy, Superintendent of Vicksburg Warren School District; Dr. Lance Evans, Superintendent of New Albany School District; Dr. Tori Holloway, Superintendent of Simpson Co. School District; and Dr. Charlotte Seals, Superintendent of Madison County School District. The group of superintendents issued the following statement.

“House Bill 823 is vital to building the kind of education system our students and communities need for the decades ahead. This forward-looking legislation is aligned with the practices of the world’s best education systems. Which is exactly what our state and students deserve.”

Also in the Study Group serving the Warren County area were State Reps. Oscar Denton, Kevin Ford and Stephanie McKenzie Foster.

The bill specifies that the Commission will be comprised of education leaders in the state House and Senate; the State Board of Education; the Commission on Teacher and Administrator Education, Certification and Licensure, and Development; the Mississippi Association of School Administrators (MASS); the Commissioner of Higher Education; the Mississippi Community College Board; AccelerateMS; the Mississippi Development Authority; the Mississippi Economic Council; The Mississippi Manufacturing Association; teachers and leaders associations, the Mississippi School Boards Association; student and parent representatives; and two members of the International Education Legislative Study Group.