PEER Report #276

A REVIEW OF THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION’S INTERNAL MANAGEMENT AND ITS OVERSIGHT OF DISTRICT AND STUDENT PERFORMANCE, February 19, 1992; Volume I-284 pages, Volume II-311 pages

• The State Department of Education spends 44% of the state general fund and oversees public education, which accounts for 25% of all general expenditures of state and local government in Mississippi.
• The State Board of Education is moving toward “de-regulation” of districts and reductions in testing, even though 10% of students tested cannot master reading, math, and writing and 37% fall below minimum performance levels in at least one of these subjects.
• Low accreditation standards, excessive technical jargon, and the use of district averages make it difficult for parents to hold school officials accountable.
• Only 145 of the department’s 754 employees work in the division that provides curriculum support to regular classroom teachers; 525 work in other programs and 215 work at the Schools for the Deaf and Blind.
• The Associate Superintendent of Vocational-Technical Education has not been accountable to either the Board or State Superintendent of Education since 1986.
• Vocational-technical education received $10 million more in general funds in FY 1989 through 1991 than needed to maintain federal funding, including a $1.8 million deficit appropriation in FY 1991.
• The Minimum Program law requires excessive paperwork, is less precise than systems used in 42 other states, and permits “double-counting” of certain special education and vocational-technical students.
• The board’s five-year plan is not comprehensive, lacks measurable outcomes, and has not been used effectively to guide departmental budgeting and services to school districts. The department does not have effective internal audit and program evaluation systems.

For a paper copy of this report, contact PEER by telephone at 601-359-1226 or by e-mail at reports@peer.ms.gov.