Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann made a promise to Mississippi’s teachers while campaigning last year.
And he is trying to make good on his word early in the 2021 legislative session by pushing a modest teacher pay raise.
What does all this mean for the Sunflower County Consolidated School District and its efforts to recruit and retain quality instructors?
We caught up with SCCSD Superintendent Miskia Davis to talk about the raise and other issues facing the district this week.
The E-T: While this is a start, is it enough to combat some of the issues districts like Sunflower County have with recruiting and retention when it comes to pay?
Davis: To start, they don't print enough money to pay teachers what they deserve for all that they are required to do, and all that they do without being required. Is it enough to combat recruiting and retention issues? Probably not.
But what we have found in SCCSD is recruitment and retention has little to do with pay.
Good teachers want to work in a district that is succeeding. Great teachers want to work in a district where their voices are not only heard, but valued.
Outstanding teachers want to work in a district where they have support from all levels. Those are the recruitment and retention efforts that we are prioritizing.
However, the fact that Lt. Gov. Hosemann is wise enough to recognize that teachers deserve to be paid more, and is putting forth the effort to make that happen, speaks volume about his level of commitment to the men and women who make it happen for our boys and girls daily. It means a lot that teachers are being noticed and recognized as being just as important as other faithful responders.
Because though their jobs are different, both are equally important.
The E-T: All teachers have worked extra hard this past year during the pandemic. What can you say about your staff of teachers and how they have performed since going virtual since last March?
Davis: I can't say enough...The tenacity, dedication, commitment, grace, and perseverance shown by the teachers of SCCSD is nothing short of mind-blowing.
It has been an extremely difficult year. Harder than it would have been for us to have students in the buildings.
But teachers, support staff and building leaders never faltered. They didn't succumb to the pressures associated with COVID.
They pressed forward like the champions that they are, because they know what is at stake...the lives of our children. SCCSD teachers and staff understand that a year of education lost to our students can have decades of implications.
So what did they do?
They rolled up their sleeves, and got to work…virtually.
Even when students only gave us minimal effort, our teachers and staff responded with maximum diligence. Secretaries and parent liaisons were calling and texting all day long.
Principals and teachers showing up at student houses, blowing their horns to get their attention. School Resource Officers going to homes and leaving notes in the door. Whatever it takes...Because even if our children don't understand the importance of this year, and how it could essentially change the trajectory of their lives, we do.
The E-T: What are some other key things SCCSD is going to be looking at in terms of new laws during the current Legislative session?
Davis: We are watching to see how MDE and legislation is going to handle the attendance crisis.
We understand that it is not just an SCCSD issue, but a state issue, and we are all trying to figure it out.
Thankfully, we have a wonderful partnership with our local law enforcement agencies and Judge Debra Giles, who are helping us nudge parents into making their children attend school virtually.
But even that doesn't always work, and districts like ours cannot afford to take a financial hit because of poor student attendance.
We are also looking at how the inequities that have shown themselves around the state are going to play out in the assessment program and accountability model when they are reintroduced.
We know that we are working tirelessly so as not to disrupt the learning that our students and parents have come to expect, but realistically, the pandemic has created some large gaps that some of our students are simply at risk of falling through.
We are implementing as many safety nets as possible to catch as many students as possible, but it is tough not having them in our presence.
I am interested in seeing how all of that is going to be taken into consideration.
to work in a district where they have support from all levels. Those are the recruitment and retention efforts that we are prioritizing.
However, the fact that Lt. Gov. Hosemann is wise enough to recognize that teachers deserve to be paid more, and is putting forth the effort to make that happen, speaks volume about his level of commitment to the men and women who make it happen for our boys and girls daily. It means a lot that teachers are being noticed and recognized as being just as important as other faithful responders.
Because though their jobs are different, both are equally important.
The E-T: All teachers have worked extra hard this past year during the pandemic. What can you say about your staff of teachers and how they have performed since going virtual since last March?
Davis: I can't say enough...The tenacity, dedication, commitment, grace, and perseverance shown by the teachers of SCCSD is nothing short of mind-blowing.
It has been an extremely difficult year. Harder than it would have been for us to have students in the buildings.
But teachers, support staff and building leaders never faltered. They didn't succumb to the pressures associated with COVID.
They pressed forward like the champions that they are, because they know what is at stake...the lives of our children. SCCSD teachers and staff understand that a year of education lost to our students can have decades of implications.
So what did they do?
They rolled up their sleeves, and got to work…virtually.
Even when students only gave us minimal effort, our teachers and staff responded with maximum diligence. Secretaries and parent liaisons were calling and texting all day long.
Principals and teachers showing up at student houses, blowing their horns to get their attention. School Resource Officers going to homes and leaving notes in the door. Whatever it takes...Because even if our children don't understand the importance of this year, and how it could essentially change the trajectory of their lives, we do.
The E-T: What are some other key things SCCSD is going to be looking at in terms of new laws during the current Legislative session?
Davis: We are watching to see how MDE and legislation is going to handle the attendance crisis.
We understand that it is not just an SCCSD issue, but a state issue, and we are all trying to figure it out.
Thankfully, we have a wonderful partnership with our local law enforcement agencies and Judge Debra Giles, who are helping us nudge parents into making their children attend school virtually.
But even that doesn't always work, and districts like ours cannot afford to take a financial hit because of poor student attendance.
We are also looking at how the inequities that have shown themselves around the state are going to play out in the assessment program and accountability model when they are reintroduced.
We know that we are working tirelessly so as not to disrupt the learning that our students and parents have come to expect, but realistically, the pandemic has created some large gaps that some of our students are simply at risk of falling through.
We are implementing as many safety nets as possible to catch as many students as possible, but it is tough not having them in our presence.
I am interested in seeing how all of that is going to be taken into consideration.
