Yesterday, the Mississippi Supreme Court affirmed the constitutionality of charter schools receiving state and local dollars. Mississippi First is thrilled for the 1,750-plus children receiving their public education from one of the six public charter schools in Mississippi. The ruling unequivocally affirms what we have said all along: public education dollars belong to public school children for their public education; charter…
Read MoreMCSAB Authorizes New Charter Schools
This year, the Mississippi Charter School Authorizer Board (MCSAB) has approved the application of three more charter schools, bringing the total count to eight public charter schools in Mississippi. Charter schools are free public schools. They get their name from the contract—or charter—that the school signs with the Mississippi Charter School Authorizer Board. The charter…
Read MoreAccountability and Charter Schools
This week, the Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) made the 2017-2018 accountability scores public, after delaying the public release on September 20. Each year, Mississippi schools and districts are rated using an A-F scale, just like children receive a grade A, B, C, D, or F on a report card. To understand the accountability system…
Read More$15M to Expand High-Quality Public Charter Schools in Mississippi
Today, the Mississippi Charter School Authorizer Board received a $15M grant from the U.S. Department of Education (ED) through the Expanding Opportunities Through Quality Charter Schools Program Grants to State Entities (CSP State Entities program). ED selected 9 state entities out of 22 state applicants to receive a total of $144.7M in funding. The Authorizer…
Read MoreCharter School to Open in the Mississippi Delta
Today, the Mississippi Charter School Authorizer Board approved the fifth public charter school for the state: Clarksdale Collegiate Public Charter School. The school is set to open in the fall of 2018 in Clarksdale, Miss., and at full enrollment will serve students in grades K-8. In the fall of 2018, the school will enroll 150…
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