The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, 12/1/8
The most controversial aspect of the proposed Children First Act, designed to improve low-performing schools, is a provision to remove the governing boards of chronically poor-performing districts.
While some argue against allowing the state Board of Education to remove schools boards elected or appointed by local people, House Education Committee Chairman Cecil Brown D-Jackson, said it’s a crucial part of the Children First Act.
“If the board is not doing its job, if it doesn’t have a clear focus, or is focusing on something other than academic performance and finance, you have a problem,” Brown said.
Brown was part of a task force created by the 2008 Legislature to look at ways to improve chronically low-performing districts. Earlier this month the task force unveiled the Children First Act, which provides a litany of recommendations for the 2009 Legislature to consider.
Among them: giving the state Board of Education the authority to replace school board members in low-performing districts.
