Mississippi Education Reform Act of 1982
He met with business leaders, civic groups, and teachers' organizations to feel out their opinions, while his wife and aides toured schools and delivered speeches.
Most state education groups, the NAACP, Mississippi Economic Council, League of Women Voters, and Children's Defense Fund all endorsed the proposals.
[2] A bill to establish public kindergartens survived through several committees in the House, but faced a deadline for approval by February 11.
Declaring the motion passed, he adjourned the House and walked out of the room, despite other legislators protesting this move and demanding a roll call vote.
[8] Regardless of whatever the true feelings were of a majority of the state house members, Newman's adjournment appeared to some lawmakers and much of the public to be an abuse of power.
[9] Ultimately, the only reform-supportive move by the legislature was its scheduling of a referendum for November to amend the state constitution to create a new board of education.
[12] Winter's staff spent the overwhelming portion of the latter half the year focused on lining up public support for the education proposals.
[13] The approval of the November referendum encouraged Winter enough to convince him to call the legislature into a special session on December 6 solely to consider education reform.
Legislative leadership held a meeting the next day to discuss the situation, followed by a press conference hosted by Newman and Lieutenant Governor Brad Dye.
After some House members expressed concern that the Senate would block the establishment of public kindergartens, Representative Tommy Walman told them, "This body has never charted its course by what happened down the hall, and by God I hope it doesn't start now.
Worried about the bill's progress, governor's press secretary David Crews phoned Clarion-Ledger editor Charles Overby to advise him of the development.
Consisting of Representatives Merideth, Clark, and Mike Nipper and Senators Bodron, Gordon, and John Fraiser, the committee debated the bill for three days, finishing their work on December 19.
[28] The Education Reform Act mandated the establishment of public kindergartens in all school districts by 1986, with funding for their provision capped at $40 million annually.
The law enacted compulsory attendance measures for public school students aged six to 14, to begin in the fall of 1983 for six and seven-year-olds and phased in over several years.
Failure to comply with the school attendance law could result in proceedings in youth courts and the levying of a $1,000 fine or a year's incarceration for parents of truant children.
The law delineated the powers of the new State Board of Education, granting it broad authority over the management of public schools, accreditation standards, and teacher training.
First-year teachers and administrators were to be awarded certification on a provisional basis before being permanently certified following observations and evaluations at the end of the year.
The funding provisions, projected to bring in about $110 million in additional revenue, amounted to the largest single tax increase in Mississippi's history.
[30] Senator Bodron lost reelection, as did longtime legislative incumbents Stone Barefield, Son Rhodes, Kenneth Williams, Bob Ferguson, Jim Neal, Algie Davis, and Tommy Horne.
John Grisham was inspired by the events leading to the passage of the Education Reform Act to launch his own bid for office and was successfully elected to the Mississippi House of Representatives.
