Education News in Brief

Mississippi Superintendent Calls for Charters in Troubled Districts

By The Associated Press — January 05, 2010 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Mississippi’s incoming superintendent of education, Tom Burnham, says lawmakers should considering allowing the state board of education to consolidate the low-performing districts that it takes over and to establish charter schools in those districts.

Mr. Burnham’s suggestion came during a meeting of a task force on low-performing schools. He said he was making the recommendation because “in my mind you don’t give [the school system] back to the people who allowed it to fail to begin with.”

Under Mr. Burnham’s concept, the state board would not be able to consolidate a low-performing district with another district unless the neighboring district agreed to the merger. The governor has formed a commission to study school district consolidation that is supposed to make a recommendation by April 1.

A version of this article appeared in the January 06, 2010 edition of Education Week as Mississippi Superintendent Calls for Charters in Troubled Districts

Events

Teaching Profession K-12 Essentials Forum New Insights Into the Teaching Profession
Join this free virtual event to get exclusive insights from Education Week's State of Teaching project.
Jobs Virtual Career Fair for Teachers and K-12 Staff
Find teaching jobs and K-12 education jubs at the EdWeek Top School Jobs virtual career fair.
Mathematics K-12 Essentials Forum Helping Students Succeed in Math

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Education Quiz What is a Project 2025 Author Doing at the Education Department? Take This Weekly Quiz
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read
Education Briefly Stated: June 11, 2025
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
5 min read
Education Quiz What Is the #1 Factor Boosting Students' STEM Motivation? Take This Weekly Quiz
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read
Education Briefly Stated: June 4, 2025
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read