POPLARVILLE —
The Senate Education Committee passed Bill 2141 recently. The bill is championed by local Senator Tony Smith. While the bill would not affect Pearl River Central Schools, it would change the Picayune and Poplarville School Districts from a mix of appointed and elected board members, to all elected. An amendment was put in the bill to require board members to have at least one year of college.
While there is no doubt that I am personally a strong proponent of education in general, I am also a proponent of local control. However, it appears that the concept of local control is lost throughout the United States. Federal laws and policies created by the United States Department of Education have dictated what happens inside of school districts in our country. It was President George W. Bush that ushered in the No Child Left Behind legislation that started a landslide of accountability testing geared to determine student learning and college readiness.
Somewhere along the historical path, public education took a distinct turn in the direction of attempting to prepare students for a path that led to the university. While it is certainly a great goal that young people aspire to earn a bachelor’s degree (or higher) if they are fully dedicated to complete; the primary notion here is “fully dedicated”, because if the student is not, then reaching the graduation milestone might be improbable. Too many people start the college route on the baccalaureate (aka, 4 year degree) pathway; but most get sidetracked and do not complete their goal.
Data compiled by the Chronicle of Higher Education found that only 50 percent of entering freshman into Mississippi public universities in 2004 had actually completed the bachelor’s degree by 2010. And this is a list that Mississippi is not last in, as the graduation rate for our state ranked 31out of the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Mississippi outperformed states such as Indiana, Alabama and Hawaii. See the results at http://collegecompletion.chronicle.com/.
At the community college level, like the universities, the graduation rates are disturbing. Approximately 25 percent of first time freshmen enrollees starting at the community college level in 2007 had graduated in 2010. The good news here is that Mississippi ranked 17th when compared to the other 50 states. This data on community colleges is available at the link above. The Chronicle’s study found The University of Mississippi and Pearl River Community College with the highest graduation rates.
Examining the educational demands placed by the labor market in Mississippi is made easy by Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce who provides outstanding research information about the job market. Georgetown’s data indicates that the labor market in Mississippi will require the following type of breakdown in education level:
Education requirements of all job openings in Mississippi through 2018 by percentage:
Less than a high school diploma — 12 percent
High school diploma — 31percent
Some college - no degree — 13 percent
Associates degree (2 year degree) — 19 percent
Bachelors degree (4 year degree) — 18 percent
Masters degree or higher — 7 percent
For full report go to http://www9.georgetown.edu/grad/gppi/hpi/cew/pdfs/FullReport.pdf.
Dr. Alsobrooks currently serves as the Vice President of Economic and Community Development at Pearl River Community College.
Business
More than school board needs to be changed: Part 1
- Business
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- Dual Enrollment Practical Nursing Program available at PRCC Some students possess the maturity level and academic wherewithal to begin studying toward a fruitful career path while still in high school. It is no secret that many earn most of the necessary credits towards a high school diploma by the completion of the junior year of school; thus, requiring the student to attend high school for part of the school day during their senior year. Many students have jobs or extracurricular school activities, such as band or athletics, to help round out the day. However, those not in falling into these categories often ended up with a lot of free time; fortunately policy makers in Mississippi are finding ways to assist these students.
- Senators Burks Hill and Smith along with Representative Frierson panelists for Chamber Business Review The Greater Area Picayune Chamber of Commerce held a Legislative Review for the business community, at Char Southern Steakhouse, Monday at 5:30 p.m. Panelists included State Senator District 40 Angela Burks Hill, State Senator District 47 Tony Smith, and State Rep. Herb Frierson of Poplarville. All are Republican. They spoke on the past session and bills they either authored or helped pass which impact local and state businesses.
- Investing in the community one building at a time There is a bit of a renaissance occurring in Pearl River County. This is happening one building at a time. It seems to be happening rather quietly, but the end results are going to help shape the future of the county and the cities located here.
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Medical Group gives back to community
, Children’s International Medical Group is proud to announce the opening of their pediatric clinic in Picayune.
The clinic is one of many throughout La. and Miss. which brings compassionate care centered around pediatric patients and the community in which they live.
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Charter Bank names Westfall as VP
Charter Bank is pleased to announce the addition of Rich Westfall as vice president of business development and marketing. His responsibilities will be to lead business and community development and oversee all marketing efforts for the bank.
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Weak Oracle sales, Cyprus fears weigh on US stocks
Stocks closed lower on Wall Street Thursday after Oracle’s weak sales results weighed down big U.S. technology companies. Traders also worried about Cyprus running out of time to avoid bankruptcy.
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Mississippi REALTORS® hold annual REALTOR® Day at the Capitol
On Feb.7, 2013 Pearl River County REALTORS® joined more than 120 Mississippi REALTORS® at the Mississippi State Capitol to take part in REALTOR® Day at the Capitol.
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More than school board needs to be changed: Part 2
Dr. Scott Alsobrooks/Guest Columnist
At quick glance, it is easy to see that the Mississippi economy will only need about 25 percent of its workforce at the bachelor’s level or higher. Most jobs still require only a high school degree, but many well paying jobs will require some sort of 2 year degree or a post high school type credential such as a certificate in welding, carpentry or plumbing. -
HORNE LLP welcomes Picayune native as spring accounting intern
HORNE LLP, one of the top accounting and business advisory firms in the nation, recently welcomed Melissa Pigott of Picayune, Miss., as a spring accounting intern. A total of 26 accounting students were selected for the highly competitive internship program.
Pigott is a student at the University of Southern Mississippi and is completing her internship in assurance services in the Ridgeland, Miss., office location. -
More than school board needs to be changed: Part 1
By Dr. Scott Alsobrooks/Guest Columnist
The Senate Education Committee passed Bill 2141 recently. The bill is championed by local Senator Tony Smith. While the bill would not affect Pearl River Central Schools, it would change the Picayune and Poplarville School Districts from a mix of appointed and elected board members, to all elected. An amendment was put in the bill to require board members to have at least one year of college. - More Business Headlines
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