Mississippi Today

U.S. Secretary of Ed visits Jackson schools to discuss pandemic relief funds, teacher shortages

Published

2 years ago

February 16, 2023

U.S. Secretary of Ed visits Jackson schools to discuss pandemic relief funds, teacher shortages

by Julia James, Mississippi Today
February 16, 2023

U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona was in Jackson Wednesday to visit a local elementary school and Jackson State University to view the impact federal pandemic relief dollars are having in public schools and discuss the nation’s teacher shortage.

Cardona said he came to Jackson specifically because of the strong pipeline of Jackson State University graduates teaching in the Jackson Public School District.

“Jackson State University produces 67% of the Black teachers in Jackson Public Schools,” he said. “That’s unheard of. I’m here because I want all colleges and universities to have that impact on their local community.”

Speaking with education students at JSU, he said coming out of the pandemic, “the crisis is (no longer) safely reopening schools, it’s preparing tomorrow’s teachers.”

Statewide, there are nearly 2,600 certified teacher vacancies in Mississippi, a figure that the state has only recently started tracking. While some more specific data is available for the number of vacancies per subject or school level, the state does not publish district-specific vacancy data. The state does publish a list of geographic shortage areas, and the number of school districts on it has doubled since the 2019-20 school year.

Cardona touted the newly funded Augustus Hawkins grant program, which provides $18 million to historically Black colleges and universities to create high-quality teacher preparation programs for teachers of color. While Jackson State is not a recipient of the grant this year, he said he is aware that they are working to apply in the future.

When asking current education students how other universities can replicate Jackson State’s success in a “grow your own” program, a model that seeks to recruit and train community members to become teachers, students pointed to the high standards their professors have for them and the experiences collaborating in real-world settings.

Toy McLaurin, a speech-language pathology graduate student, called on current teaching students not to shy away from the areas that need them most.

“A lot of people veer away from going into schools that may have a high need for teachers or they may be considered low performing because people want to go where there’s more resources,” she said. “But sometimes you have to go there and start that culture. You have to go there and be the beginning of something great.”

Cardona repeatedly talked about collaborating with state and local leaders to raise teacher salaries “to make sure that, when you walk into this profession, it’s one where you can hold your head up high and there’s a level of respect.”

Last year, the Legislature passed the largest teacher pay raise in Mississippi history, raising the average salary by about $5,000 and increasing the base starting salary to $41,638. Even after that pay raise, Mississippi First found in a new report the number of teachers who left their district at the end of the 2021-22 school year still increased, with 23.7% of all teachers not returning. The report highlighted student debt specifically as increasing the risk of leaving the classroom, something Cardona said the Biden Administration is continuing to work on addressing.

U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona paints his name in cursive with fifth-graders at Casey Elementary in Jackson on Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2023.

Earlier in the day, Cardona visited Casey Elementary and spoke with community partners for the Jackson Public School District’s after-school programs, including the Greater Jackson Arts Council, the Mississippi Children’s Museum, and the Bean Path.

The representatives discussed the programming they have been able to create through the federal pandemic relief dollars, and State Superintendent of Education Robert Taylor emphasized the coming expiration of those funds in 2024 as a major concern for school districts across the state.

In response, Cardona called on governors and legislatures to see the benefits of that federal investment and provide funding for these resources to continue.

“The American Rescue Plan was a down payment on transformational change,” Cardona said. “It is not intended to make up for decades of underinvestment in education.”

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

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Mississippi Today

UMMC holds free cancer screenings

Published

24 hours ago

April 30, 2025

Staff Editor

mississippitoday.org – @EricJShelton – 2025-04-30 12:00:00

by Eric J. Shelton, Mississippi Today
April 30, 2025

Resident physician Claire Babin, right, performs an oral cancer screening on Ella Holmes during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Physicians prepare for oral, head and neck cancer screenings during a free screening event at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Resident physician Brooks Lampkin, center, screens Diane Carter for oral cancer as medical students Mason Nodurft, left, and Eva Kiparizoska observe during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Educational giveaways advocating against smoking are available during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Sharon Terry, senior tobacco treatment specialist, waits for patients during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Skylar Robinson, medical office assistant, left, and Kiandria Bruce, registered nurse, review materials at the patient sign-in table during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Head and neck cancer literature is available during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Dr. Alex Brooks and registered nurse Angela Noble talk during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Nina Brown, clinical manager, helps Ned Bostic with paperwork during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Resident physician Brooks Lampkin performs an oral cancer screening on Ned Bostic at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Ned Bostic receives a neck cancer screening during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Resident physician Brooks Lampkin, center, and medical student Hanna Watson examine Ned Bostic during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.

The University of Mississippi Medical Center’s Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery hosted a free oral, head, and neck cancer screening Wednesday at the Jackson Medical Mall as part of Oral, Head and Neck Cancer Awareness Week.

The event featured quick, noninvasive screenings aimed at catching cancer early — when treatment is most effective. Onyx Care provided free HPV vaccinations, while the ACT Center for Tobacco Treatment, Education, and Research offered resources on smoking cessation and free services.

“These screenings take about 10 minutes and can save lives,” said Dr. Gina Jefferson, head and neck surgical oncologist at UMMC. “The earlier a cancer is diagnosed, the better chance we have of curing it.”

Tobacco and alcohol use remain major risk factors for these cancers. However, physicians say an increasing number of cases are linked to HPV, especially among younger adults with no history of smoking or drinking. Dentists are often the first to spot early signs, which can include persistent sores, lumps in the neck, or difficulty swallowing.

Oral, head and neck cancers are among the most common globally. When found early, survival rates can exceed 80 percent.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The post UMMC holds free cancer screenings appeared first on mississippitoday.org

Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.

Political Bias Rating: Centrist

This article presents factual information about a free cancer screening event without showing a clear ideological stance. It primarily focuses on the health benefits of early cancer detection and the availability of free resources, such as HPV vaccinations and smoking cessation support. The language used is neutral and the content is centered around public health education rather than promoting a political viewpoint. The inclusion of factual statistics, such as survival rates and risk factors, adds to its informative and objective tone. There are no signs of bias or advocacy for a particular political agenda, making this a centrist piece.

Crooked Letter Sports Podcast

Podcast: What next for Mississippi State baseball?

Published

1 day ago

April 30, 2025

Staff Editor

mississippitoday.org – @rick_cleveland – 2025-04-30 10:46:00

by Rick Cleveland and Tyler Cleveland, Mississippi Today
April 30, 2025

Mississippi State didn’t even wait until the end of the season to fire Chris Lemonis, who brought the national championship to Starkville not quite four years ago. Where do the Bulldogs go from here. Robbie Faulk who covers the Bulldogs more closely than anyone else joins the podcast to discuss the situation.

Stream all episodes here.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The post Podcast: What next for Mississippi State baseball? appeared first on mississippitoday.org

Mississippi Today

Mobile sports betting users: We want to hear from you

Published

1 day ago

April 30, 2025

Staff Editor

mississippitoday.org – @MSTODAYnews – 2025-04-30 10:21:00

by Mississippi Today, Mississippi Today
April 30, 2025

Mississippi Today is looking to speak with current and former mobile sports betting users. We’d like to speak with people who spend considerable amounts of time and money betting on sports through online gambling sites.

We’re interested in hearing the experience of people who have suffered from gambling addiction or problems, or friends and family members of people who have. We also would like to talk with people who believe legalizing mobile sports betting would benefit Mississippi and its residents.

We want to hear from you. Please take the survey below or contact Political Reporter Michael Goldberg by email at mgoldberg@mississippitoday.org

TAKE THE SURVEY:

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This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The post Mobile sports betting users: We want to hear from you appeared first on mississippitoday.org

Political Bias Rating: Centrist

This article from Mississippi Today appears to present a neutral stance, focusing on gathering input from various groups of mobile sports betting users, including those who may have experienced addiction issues. The content does not advocate for or against the legalization of mobile sports betting but instead seeks to gather diverse perspectives, including those of individuals who may support or oppose it. The language used is objective and does not suggest a particular ideological perspective, allowing for a balanced exploration of the issue at hand.