Children First Act of 2009 is Signed into Law

Governor Haley Barbour signs Children First Act of 2009 into law

Senate Bill 2628, known as the Children's first Act of 2009 is designed to strengthen accountability measures and academic standards for public schools. MPB's Lawayne Childrey reports.

At yesterdays bill signing no one could have been more pleased about the Children's First Act of 2009 than Mississippi Economic Council President Blake Wilson.

“We have some school systems that need help and in many cases they’re willing to accept the help and this sets up a process for being able to do that.”

According to State Superintendent of Education Dr. Hank Bounds, allowing the state to more easily take over failing school districts, raises the bar to a higher level.

“No kid should be forced to be in a school that’s chronically failing. And so it puts measures in place to do everything possible to keep schools from ever getting to that point. But it also say if you do arrive at that day and you stay there for two years then that’s the line in the sand and that’s when there’s a total removal of folks from leadership.”

Lawmakers included several accountability requirements into the Children's First Act. House Education Chairman, Cecil Brown of Jackson.

“There’s a piece in the bill that requires that there be a report card if you will to be published every year by every school district in the local news paper. And it tells the local community this is what our test scores were this is how we rank, this is what our graduation rate was, this is what our dropout rate is, this is how your money is being spent. And it also sets up a pre-k through IHL council made up of local community leaders and ordinary citizens who’ll be advising the local school board when you’ve got a failing school district.”

The Children's first Act also creates a Mississippi Recovery Plan to govern districts that have been taken over by the state. For MPB news, I'm Lawayne Childrey.