Jackson Free Press

April 14, 2004 -- This is a weird press release from Gov. Barbour's folks, blaming school administrators, who are facing funding cuts thanks to the governor and the Senate, for "scaring" teachers. Who's scaring whom here?

(Jackson, Miss.) Saying that some school administrators and legislators are "scaring" Mississippi teachers with "pink slips" for political purposes, Governor Haley Barbour, Lt. Governor Amy Tuck and members of the House and Senate today called on legislators to extend the deadline for teacher contracts to May 15 instead of the existing April 15, 2004, deadline.

Teachers in Mississippi's public schools face an April 15, 2004, deadline for the yearly renewal of contracts for the upcoming school year. A teacher contract deadline extension of May 15 was added to HB 657 and passed by the Senate earlier this Session. It currently sits on the House calendar awaiting action.

Citing the fact that this year's legislative session operates under a longer legislative calendar, the State officials explained that it makes sense that the teacher contract deadline be extended until the Legislature finishes this year's extended budget process.

"Teachers should not be used as political pawns, and they should not be the first place to look to for cost-savings," said Governor Haley Barbour. "Instead of scaring our teachers with 'pink', Mississippi should be focused on getting out of the 'red'," he added.

"The Mississippi Senate has acted twice to extend the deadline for teacher contracts. One bill died earlier in the House and the second one currently sits on the House calendar awaiting action," said Lieutenant Governor Tuck. "The House can simply approve HB 657 today and end the fear of non-renewal most teachers are currently suffering."

Instead of the regular 90-day legislative session, according to the state Constitution the current legislative session lasts an extra month this year. In the last two legislative sessions after the election of a new governor, in 1992 and 2000, the public education budget was completed and signed by the Governor on May 12 and May 22 respectively -- not mid-April. In light of the fact that Mississippi has a new Governor, a new Speaker, a large number of new legislators, and a budget crisis, state officials believe the current education budget should be approached in a prudent manner.