Haley Barbour Needs to Go: 1.0

-A home in the MS Delta region. The poorest portion of MS.

I've been thinking a lot about the state of Mississippi lately. As you know, I used to be afraid of the state. I decided to move beyond my fear and begin to suggest ways in which the state can improve itself and compete with more affluent states. I will be running an ongoing column on Haley Barbour, the Republican Governor, over the next few weeks and months. It is my belief that Mr. Barbour is the biggest problem that MS is facing today and without radical change in Jackson, MS and his immediate and timely removal, MS is never going to move ahead.

Much of my posts will be driven by statements found on Mr. Barbour's homepage. Today's little gem is this:

"In the upcoming 2006-2007 school year, per student spending in our public schools will be approximately $7800, a 22% increase during the Barbour Administration. Since Haley has been Governor, state support for our K-12 school districts through the Mississippi Adequate Education Program has increased $323 million, or 19%."

I will overlook the obvious concern that this data is old. Nevertheless, this number might impress me, if say, it met the national average. You'll note that the 2004 data was about $487 short of two years prior for the national average. To better visualize the disparity, go here. While the 22% increase is welcomed, it is hardly enough to pull MS out of its dead last ranking in public education. Or put another way, 48th a year later in per student spending.

Here are some suggestions for Barbour on how to really get the job done:

1. MS children are not ready to learn when they enter Kindergarten. This means programs like Pre-K, which assists children with getting prepared and on the level when they enter into the public school system in Kindergarten. See what Barbour said about it here. In 2007-08, the state spent over $28-million on kindergarten and first grade retentions. Clearly, something needs to be done.

2. Schools need to be safe spaces free of crime and bullying. We know that teen behaviors are improving in MS. The numbers are in line with national averages.

3. Elongate the school day. This allows parents to work more, which increases family income and potential for successes and keeps the kiddies safe and out of trouble after school. The cost increase can be addressed by not having children in schools during the hottest months in MS --July, and August. Other resources such as public libraries can share these costs by having programs and places for children to go instead of home to empty houses where they are far more likely to get into trouble.

4. Address drop out rates of nearly 30%. More than 13,000 kids drop out of school in Mississippi every year – 2,000 of those before they ever reach high school. That’s one out of every four Mississippi students dropping out of school every year. Somewhere between middle school and high school, kids are opting out of the system. Address both their academic and social needs. Disease, poverty, abuse, and alcoholism in the home make school a whole lot harder. Let's address that. Dropouts cost Mississippi $458-million a year.

5. Focus on improvements and reward success. So often media and tax payers want to point out what's not working or what has failed. However, the focus should be on what has improved and future improvement plans.

6. Get parents involved. However, you have to make it easier for them to be involved. With lower education attainment rates in MS, many parents are not able to assist their children because they don't have the skills or talents to do so. Also, because of poverty, many are stretched for resources. In fact, 19% of those designated as MS 'Head of Household' are drop-outs themselves. Each school system needs to reach out to parents and provide guidance on how to assist children and encourage positive messages about education.

7. Partner with school leaders. Without a partnership, it will be an uphill battle.

8. Practice what you preach, Barbour! If you say you support education, than do it! Mention it everywhere and talk to folks in Washington about how they too need to support MS in in her efforts to move from the bottom to the top. Don't be silent.

9. Improve school facilities. We say we value education, but school plants are in dire need of improvement. Children cannot learn in buildings that are falling apart. As Jonathan Kozol stated in his book Savage Inequalities, "the point is that all the school reforms on earth are worthless if kids have to come to school in buildings that destroy their spirits".

10. Put measures to programs, because assumptions do nothing but often make the problem worse. It is not enough to just throw money at the problem. Find a way to benchmark and evaluate changes.

Barbour is failing MS. My fear is that he is being hailed as a viable contender for the GOPs for 2012. If you learn nothing from these posts, he is a danger to MS and all of us.