Our public school system is a circus!

That being said, many will instantly assign the superintendent as the ringmaster orchestrating all the chaos. Many will set sights on the Natchez-Adams School Board and insist they are an assembly of clowns wearing makeup to hide their true intentions and oversized shoes of positions they’re not qualified to fill. Some will turn their attention to teachers and assert that they are untrained trainers merely collecting a check. Some will observe the administrators performing flips for the “State” and walking the tightrope of potential termination. A few may even look at our children and choose to label them as animals attempting to function in an unnatural habitat. Yet, nearly all of these spectators will miss the elephant in our classrooms — the education clause in our State Constitution.

Our State Constitution is the guiding doctrine for everything that is Mississippi. Any action taken in the state and any person within its boundaries is ultimately held to the light or darkness of this legal document. In part, our education clause states, “The Legislature shall, by general laws, provide for the establishment, maintenance and support of free public schools upon such conditions and limitations as the Legislature may prescribe.” Well, what does that prescription look like? For that answer, I suggest a close look at Executive Order 1333 issued by Governor Phil Bryant in 2013. Specifically, part of the order reads, “the laws of this State guarantee the young citizens of this State a ‘fundamental’ right to a minimally adequate public education.” Wait. So, our schools are supposed to return maximum growth on the government’s minimal guarantee. It seems Mississippi does in fact have a lottery system!

Looking at the education clauses of New Jersey, you can find words like “thorough” and “efficient” — not “minimal.” Massachusetts uses “necessary” and “cherish” in its education clause. Vermont speaks of “competence” and “convenience” regarding its public schools. New Hampshire includes the words “essential” and “highly conducive” in its education clause. Is it a coincidence that those states were among the top ranked states for K-12 education according to the 2014 publication, Kids Count Data Book? I think not.

In contrast, the states found at the bottom of those same rankings — Louisiana, Nevada, Alabama, and Mississippi — have unsurprisingly similar education clauses. Each is lukewarm at best. They include words and phrases like “encourage,” “may provide” and “minimal”. Thus, their public education produces tepid results. Is that also happenstance? I hope so. However, I doubt it. Common sense tells me there’s a correlation.

So as the spectators watch us perform under the “big top” of public scrutiny, they should take notice of the elephant in our classrooms. It is that large, looming beast of legality performing simple tricks. It is that mammoth of a mess called an education clause. It is that powerful pachyderm of “unpromise” that is running rampant in our public schools. It is a highly intelligent, complex, and dangerous animal that few want to confront because of its enormity.

 

Jamal McCullen is a teacher for the Natchez-Adams School District.