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Articles by Rebekah Staples
Rocket Learning Launches New Options in Southwest Mississippi
Deep in the heart of Southwest Mississippi, in the sleepy community of Silver Creek, lies an innovative thriving new school founded by a veteran teacher who was looking for freedom in her own classroom. In the early spring of this year, Vicki Cox found herself frustrated as she sat in her public school classroom.She felt defeated and tired. The burden of red tape sat heavy on her shoulders.
ABCs of School Choice: Point | Counterpoint
The Midsouth Association of Independent Schools (MAIS) released a one-page document titled “The ABCs of School Choice,” which casts aspersions on school choice policies and attempts to persuade people to oppose such policies. We believe that document misrepresents the facts about school choice and demonstrates a fundamental misunderstanding of how school choice policies work.
Mississippians flourish when working
It’s Labor Day weekend, and I’ve been thinking a lot recently about how we can improve our state’s economy, particularly our declining labor force participation rate. Of one thing I am certain: we won’t understand the issue of work if we don’t understand its most important element – the human one. Humans are more than categorized numbers on a government spreadsheet (although they are that, too); they are families, communities, societies, cultures. America’s national identity is often tied to work.
Empower Mississippi Releases New Research to Help Determine Why More Mississippians Aren’t in the Workforce
Despite significant economic activity, state “labor force participation rate” lowest in U.S. Empower Mississippi, a local research and advocacy organization, released a new report today analyzing Mississippi’s labor force participation rate. Mississippi is consistently ranked as having one of the lowest labor force participation rates in the United States.
Mental health awareness is good medicine
As Mental Health Awareness Month nears a close, Rebekah Staples highlights how the state and private organizations are working to improve Mississippians’ mental health. May is celebrated nationally as Mental Health Awareness Month, and I’m glad. Mental health is a topic often misunderstood (and sometimes considered taboo), but of growing importance in the lives of families and communities across America. It is particularly significant in a rural state like Mississippi.
Mississippi House moves to protect retirees and taxpayers by diversifying PERS Board
Columnist Rebekah Staples says House Bill 1590 is a good step toward a stronger system that honors commitments to retirees without saddling taxpayers with higher taxes. For decades, Mississippi government workers have contributed to our state’s wellbeing. Whether in our state government, in the classroom, or in your local city hall, each public worker signed on to state service with the expectation and promise of a retirement they could trust.
Mississippi, Go Braugh
The Irish have a saying “Erin go Braugh.” It roughly translates to “Ireland to the End of Time.” This weekend, Mississippians will join in celebrating St. Patrick’s Day, kicking off the springtime festival season in Jackson where the historic “St. Paddy’s Day parade” attracts thousands of visitors to the capital city for a weekend of good ole Irish fun. St. Patrick’s Day has been my favorite holiday for years. I was just a wee lass when I became obsessed with all things Ireland.
Unified focus on Mississippi's labor force participation rate important first step
Rebekah Staples points out that elected officials, business leaders and non-profits have all become keenly focused on improving the state’s labor force participation rate. Mississippi’s labor force participation rate is the lowest in the nation. The latest available data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows this measure sits at 53.8 percent, some 15.5 points below the national leader of Utah at 69.3 percent.
Free State influence
Elections are over; winning candidates have been sworn into office; and the 2024 legislative session is off to a running start. Committee chairmen and memberships were recently announced in both the House of Representatives and Senate. How did Jones County lawmakers fare? Pretty dang well, if you ask me.
Will Reeves prevail or will Mississippi's power dynamic get "all shook up"?
If I had a crystal ball, I could make a lot of money. Alas, I do not. I have been asked a lot over the last week who would win the hotly contested race for governor between incumbent Republican Tate Reeves and his Democratic challenger, Brandon Presley. I’ve channeled my inner-Mike Leach. “The person with the most votes.” Setting aside the pithiness, here is my final read of the gubernatorial campaigns and what I expect to unfold in today’s election.
It’s Time to Talk About Restoring Our Constitutional Right to Ballot Initiatives
With election day tomorrow, swarms of media members have descended upon candidates to ask them about their positions on important issues to give voters a clear idea of who they will be voting for in November. Those issues have included various topics ranging from economic development to health care. But a key issue for voters has yet to be brought to the forefront of the elections: restoring Mississippians’ constitutional right to the ballot initiative and referendum process.
The impact of Medicaid expansion on Mississippi
Medicaid expansion has been at the forefront of the race for governor this year. If enacted, what could we expect to see in terms of enrollment and costs? How would it impact access to care, health care outcomes and rural hospitals? Let’s dive in. Medicaid is a government-run welfare program that provides taxpayer-funded financial aid to people who cannot afford their own health care.
Who are the donors behind Brandon Presley's big fundraising haul?
Democratic candidate for governor Brandon Presley has raised nearly $11.3 million so far this year. It’s the kind of money that would make Democrat candidates from previous cycles in Mississippi drool. At this time in 2019, former-Attorney General Jim Hood reported less than half that amount ($5.4 million) raised. Incumbent Republican Governor Tate Reeves, accustomed to large money advantages, has cried foul.
Proposals to eliminate sales tax on groceries, cut car tags are shiny, but are they realistic?
Democratic candidate for governor Brandon Presley wants to stop applying Mississippi’s sales tax to the purchase of groceries. He also wants to cut the “car tag” in half. Does that rev your engine? Well, ponder with me for a moment. These proposals make for fine TV commercials. Here’s to cutting a car in half, with a battery-powered reciprocating saw, no less! Setting aside the choice of tool in a commercial, these ideas are popular.
Mississippians aren’t just electing a Governor, they are electing a government
Chances are you’ve heard of the “butterfly effect.” It’s the idea that a single butterfly flapping its wings can start a string of escalating events that leads to a hurricane. The butterfly effect stands for the proposition that seemingly simple things can trigger large-scale consequences. Mississippi voters will head to the polls next Tuesday, November 7 to elect a number of officials, from local legislators to the state’s governor.
This is war - and it’s personal
It was Friday around midnight when my social media exploded: in a well-coordinated surprise attack, the internationally-recognized terrorist organization Hamas directed its bloodthirsty goons to rape women and young girls, kidnap the elderly (including Holocaust survivors), behead babies and otherwise murder Israeli civilians – mothers, fathers, sisters, grandpas, or, quite frankly, anyone who stood in their way.
PERS official answers week of tough questions
Last week, I watched Ray Higgins, executive director of the Public Employees’ Retirement System, give two presentations about the state’s retirement system. Both times, I was impressed by his ability to distill complex topics into something concise and relatable. When pensions are the subject du jour, this is a unique accomplishment. Despite his delivery, legitimate questions remain about the long-term direction of PERS.
Atrocities in Israel: How should America respond?
The scenes we saw from southern Israel were gruesome. Two hundred and fifty young people at a music festival murdered. Elderly people waiting at a bus stop gunned down. Women and children abducted at gun point, and carried off to a grisly captivity at the hands of Hamas. Hamas’ attack on Israel could not conceivably serve any conventional military purpose. The aim of the attack was to kill and abduct as many civilians as possible.
“Time to Speak”- I stand with Israel
It was last Friday around midnight when my social media exploded: in a well-coordinated surprise attack, the internationally-recognized terrorist organization Hamas directed its bloodthirsty goons to rape women and young girls, kidnap the elderly (including Holocaust survivors), behead babies, and otherwise murder Israeli civilians – mothers, fathers, sisters, grandpas, or, quite frankly, anyone who stood in their way.
New U.S. House speaker must break with ‘motion to vacate’ procedural poison pill
Former U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in some ways braided the House rules rope that eight ultra-conservative Republican House members used to hang him in the historic vote on the “motion to vacate the chair” that ousted the California lawmaker from his leadership post.
PERS: A Week of Questions
Last week, I watched Ray Higgins, executive director of the Public Employees’ Retirement System (PERS), give two presentations about the state’s retirement system. Both times I was impressed by his ability to distill complex topics into something concise and relatable. When pensions are the subject du jour, this is a unique accomplishment. Despite his delivery, legitimate questions remain about the long-term direction of PERS.
Conservatives pulled Mississippi’s budget out of the ditch, deserve credit
In 2003, then-candidate Haley Barbour spoke to thousands of voters across the state with a simple message: “We can do better.” This slogan was a not-so-subtle jab at his opponent, Democratic Gov. Ronnie Musgrove. Under Gov. Musgrove’s watch, Mississippi went from “the best financial condition in our state’s history to the worst, with a nearly $700 million hole in our state budget,” according to Haley’s Plan, an ideas platform released by the Barbour for Governor campaign.
Debt ceiling drama, campaign rhetoric ignores the truth of federal spending in Mississippi
At this writing, the debt ceiling drama – the annual political kabuki theater between Congress and the White House over agreeing on the total amount of money that the United States government is authorized to borrow to meet its existing legal obligations – continues in earnest. As much as a thoroughly manufactured “crisis” can be considered in any way “earnest,” that is. Both sides saw this coming. Both sides are seeking political capital from it.
Incrementalism will neither defeat Russia nor deter China
On May 22-23, the “Russian Volunteer Corps” and the “Free Russia Legion” crossed from Ukraine into Belgorod Oblast, Russia. These two groups are allegedly comprised of Russian citizens aligned with the Armed Forces of Ukraine. These groups allegedly used American Humvees and M1224 MaxxPro MRAPs as part of their operation. This temporary incursion was embarrassing for Moscow.
Tech Innovation is Important for Mississippi’s Students
It’s graduation time, and I can’t help but think about our duty to foster the innovative potential that our students possess. Mississippi is a perfect place to do just that. With a strong economy, dedicated workforce, and commitment to being open for business, the Magnolia state has it all. Upon graduation, students are met with many potential career paths, including in Mississippi’s burgeoning tech sector. In fact, in the past few years Mississippi has increasingly been considered a new tech hub.
A Veteran's View of Memorial Day
Each Memorial Day, we come face-to-face with the human cost of freedom. While we observe the holiday to honor our war dead – not all U.S. veterans – it is nonetheless an especially significant day to our surviving veterans. They have learned the hard way, having lost friends in battle, that honoring the fallen is more than just a platitude. Veterans know better than most that the fallen young we honor each Memorial Day are not just names on a wall. They are not an abstraction.
Despite naysayers, the Legislature consistently invests in Jackson
Aerial Perspective at Dusk of Jackson, Mississippi In 2017, the Capitol Complex Improvement District, or CCID, was established by the Mississippi Legislature to improve Jackson infrastructure. The legislation (House Bill 1226) was embraced by significant bipartisan majorities in both chambers, passing the House with 105 votes and the Senate with 42 votes. The Legislature provided about $6 million yearly to fund improvement projects necessary for a well-functioning urban environment.
MAEP Rewrite: A Conversation Worth Having
Curious things are afoot at the Mississippi State Capitol. In an unusual joint meeting, at 5:25 pm Monday the Senate Education and Appropriations Committees met to discuss proposed changes and funding for the Mississippi Adequate Education Program (MAEP), the formula used to determine how much money public schools receive to educate children. Less than 24 hours later with remarkably no debate, senators unanimously approved formula changes and voted to increase recurring funding by $181 million.
Mississippi can protect children by standing for truth
Protecting the health and safety of Mississippians is one of the most important responsibilities given to the state’s lawmakers. This responsibility is even more significant when it comes to protecting vulnerable children. Our laws have long protected children from things and experiences that society concludes are harmful or that a child lacks the maturity and experience to handle.
PERS: A Legislative Math Problem
Last week, members of the Mississippi Senate Finance Committee convened to hear an update from the Public Employees’ Retirement System (PERS) executive director regarding the funded status of the plan. I listened with great interest as Ray Higgins, the executive director, told lawmakers the system’s status is “really an accumulation of everything that has happened since [PERS] was created” some 70 years ago. That’s a great long-term perspective when evaluating the economic health of PERS.
Don’t pass up opportunity to participate in the process
A few months back, a friend of mine suggested I look into voter participation rates. As we come off Memorial Day weekend, I thought now was the appropriate time to dive into voting patterns to see just how much we, as a society, take for granted the right to vote. I’ll give you a hint: We take it for granted — by a wide margin. Rebekah Staples In 2020, 66.7 percent of the eligible voting population in the United States voted during the presidential election.
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