In light of recent comments made about the Mississippi Association of Educators, our members, and educators across the state during last night’s gubernatorial debate, we feel compelled to clarify a few misconceptions.
Governor Reeves’ statement that our membership stands at 2,000 individuals spread out across the state is not accurate. We are proud to represent nearly 8,000 members dedicated to the success of public schools across our state.
Additionally, through our Raise Mississippi campaign aimed at ensuring that every student has access to the resources they need to succeed, we have heard from hundreds of business leaders, parents, and community members on how to strengthen our schools and, in turn, our economy and quality of life in Mississippi.
In fact, our Association’s growth is amongst the fastest in the nation, a testament to educators’ belief that when they come together—along with parents, business leaders, faith leaders, and members of the community--they can make change for our students and for our state.
Furthermore, we are not alone in our support for Commissioner Brandon Presley. Numerous bipartisan leaders, including former Republican elected officials, and community organizations share our belief in Commissioner Presley’s vision for Mississippi’s future and public education. We officially endorsed Brandon Presley because our members believe in his strong commitment to prioritizing the public schools that educate 90% of Mississippi’s children. He champions the Raise Mississippi initiative which believes great public schools with up-to date technology and textbooks, qualified and dedicated educators, nutritious meals, art and music, school nurses and mental health counselors, and Friday night lights are possible in all of our communities—and critical as there is a direct connection between strong public schools and our economy. We are enthusiastic about the potential to collaborate with his administration to make this vision a reality.
We remain committed to Mississippi’s educators and students and will continue to advocate for the brightest possible future for our state’s public education system.
