Ed chief proposes $116M redesign

By Cathy Hayden

http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060519/NEWS/605190364

"A proposed redesign of Mississippi education for grades seven through 12 would cost nearly $116 million and take five years to achieve, but is needed to overcome what the state superintendent of education describes as inflexible and ineffectual schools.

Education chief Hank Bounds said too many schools stifle learning, push borderline students to drop out and don't meet the advanced work-force needs of those who do graduate.

"Forty percent of our kids are dropping out. We've got to figure out what to do about that," he said to state Board of Education members meeting in Jackson on Thursday. "One of the top reasons students drop out is what they're doing is not relevant to what their future looks like."