2012 Legislative & Policy Priorities
	The Parents' Campaign supports the following initiatives that we believe will improve student achievement and move us toward excellent schools for all Mississippi children:   • Providing resources adequate for teachers to teach and children to learn • Improving teacher quality • Improving school leadership • Authorizing charter schools in attendance zones of chronically underperforming public schools • Streamlining reform measures for failing schools and districts • Developing a statewide early childhood education system    Several of our priority initiatives are recommended by Blueprint Mississippi 2011. Click here for details of each provision.

	Click here for information by school district, including school funding, school accountability and legislators' contact information and voting records    Speaker Gunn Names House Committees posted 1/20/2012 Earlier today, House Speaker Philip Gunn announced House of Representatives committee chairs and members. Representative John Moore of Brandon was named chair of the House Education Committee, and Representative Alyce Clarke of Jackson was named vice chair. Representative Herb Frierson of Poplarville was named House Appropriations Committee chair, and Representative Mac Huddleston of Pontotoc was named vice chair. To see the full membership of the House Education Committee, click here. To see the full House Appropriations Committee, click here. Our goal is to work with these leaders to advance legislation that will help ensure excellent schools for all Mississippi children.   Lt. Governor Reeves Names Senate Committees posted 1/6/2012 This morning, Lt. Governor Tate Reeves announced Senate committee chairs and members. Senator Gray Tollison of Oxford was named chair of the Education Committee, and Senator Nancy Collins of Tupelo was named vice chair. Senator Buck Clarke of Hollandale was named Appropriations Committee chair, and Senator Terry Burton of Newton was named vice chair.  To see the full membership of the Senate Education Committee, click here. To see the full Senate Appropriations Committee, click here. We are looking forward to working with these leaders to build a stronger public education system. Speaker Gunn is in the process of assigning House committee members and chairs, and we will post those on this site as soon as they are announced. 2012 Legislature Convenes Gunn Elected Speaker posted 1/3/2012 The 2012 Legislative Session convened at noon today. Philip Gunn was elected and sworn in as Speaker of the House, and incoming Lieutenant Governor Tate Reeves will be sworn in on Thursday to preside over the Senate. Gunn and Reeves will appoint committee chairs and members and assign bills to committees in their respective chambers. We will post committee assignments on this website as soon as they are available. Also watch this site for updates on important education legislation and votes. 2012 Legislature to Convene Tuesday, January 3 posted 1/2/2012 The 2012 Legislative Session will convene at noon on Tuesday, January 3, 2012.  On that day, legislators will be sworn in and the House of Representatives will elect its Speaker.  The legislative staff is in the process of assigning email addresses and posting contact information for all new legislators, and we will make that information available on our website as soon as it is finalized.  As always, we will keep our members in the know about legislation that affects public schools and how their legislators vote on pertinent education bills.  If you would like to receive email updates about your legislators' education votes and have not already signed up, click here to get on our emailing list. Click here to see archived postings from 2011. Back to top of Recent News.