Mississippi
Pols pitch extra $1B for NYC schools — even as Mississippi, Alabama students outperform New Yorkers for a fraction of the cost
State lawmakers want to give New York City public schools about $1 billion more a year — even though students in states like Mississippi and Alabama have been notching dramatically better test results, while spending a fraction per pupil.
Proposals from State Sen. John Liu and Assembly Member Jo Anne Simon would restructure the formula by which the state feeds funds to the city Department of Education, boosting its $35.1 billion annual budget by $819 million, according to the city’s Independent Budget Office.
But more money doesn’t necessarily mean better results.
Three southern states, Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama, have historically had some of the country’s worst K-12 public schools, but have proven to be rising stars in recent years — despite spending less than half per student than New York, as was highlighted in a recent New York Times op-ed.
Mississippi spends about $12,500 per pupil each year, while New York spends more than twice that, about $32,000, according to Edunomics Lab, a Georgetown University research center. New York City spends more than the statewide average, around $42,200, per student each year.
Louisiana spends about $17,500 annually per pupil, and Alabama spends about $13,200 — both a far cry from what both the Empire State and the Big Apple are shelling out, researchers found.
But New York students have seen their scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress — often called “The Nation’s Report Card” — drop by about 10 points since 2013.
Meanwhile, test scores in parts of Mississippi rose by 10 points over that same time frame, NAEP data shows.
Louisiana saw its 4th-grade reading scores climb by 5 points since 2013.
And while Alabama saw NAEP scores decline during that time, an adjusted analysis of national results from the Urban Institute that factors in demographics like poverty placed the state as the No. 1 scoring school system in the entire country.
New York, by contrast, landed at No. 32, and Massachusetts — typically ranked among the nation’s best public schools — came in at 21.
“It’s not about the amount of money,” said Manhattan Institute education expert Danyela Souza.
“If it was just about the money, our schools would be number one academically,” she told The Post.
Former deputy schools chancellor Eric Nadelstern agreed, saying the city’s public school system — the largest in the country — now has no “accountability.”
The institutions were given their own A through F gradings based on their performances under Mayor Mike Bloomberg’s watch — and some were closed because of poor performance.
But the accountability rating system was scrapped under his successor, Mayor Bill de Blasio, and never reinstated.
“How can you spend billions of dollars on education if you’re not holding educators accountable for the results — the teachers, the principals, the superintendents,” Nadelstern said.
“We don’t have a right to ask for more money until we hold people responsible for children’s education accountable for achievement,” he said. “We don’t do that now and haven’t for some time.”
Mississippi
Mississippi AI task force hears competing claims on data center costs, community impacts
JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) -Mississippi’s artificial intelligence regulation task force opened its first day of hearings Monday, taking testimony from utility representatives, public service commissioners, and community advocates on the costs and consequences of the state’s data center industry growth.
Entergy projects lower bills; critics question the numbers
Entergy told the task force it expects residential customer bills to decrease as data center growth expands the utility’s customer base.
“When you have higher sales volume to spread those costs over, it’s going to produce a lower rate,” said Jeremy Vanderloo, vice president of business operations and strategy for Entergy Mississippi.
The company projected residential bills would be $30 a month less by 2030 than they would have been without data center growth. Entergy pushed back on a recent study commissioned by environmental groups that claims costs are already being passed on to ratepayers.
Commissioners weigh ratepayer protections
Two public service commissioners testified before the task force. Commissioner DeKeither Stamps said the goal of protecting ratepayers goes beyond simply keeping rates low.
“We should be looking for a low rate or a high rate, just the correct rate to maintain the systems,” Stamps said. “And if the citizens don’t want the correct rate, then as a regulator, we still have to put the correct rate on the table.”
Advocates raise questions on accountability
National advocate Jim Walsh questioned what would happen if industry projections prove inaccurate, asking, “Who pays if industry’s projections are wrong?” Walsh said some states and communities have placed moratoriums on data centers while they assess potential impacts.
Shannon Samsa, director of the Safe + Sound Coalition, told the task force she is not opposed to AI and data centers broadly but called for greater transparency.
“It’s about whether the people of Mississippi deserve transparency, accountability, and leaders who will protect the health and well-being of our families and communities before the interests of a private corporation,” Samsa said.
North Mississippi resident cites noise from xAI site
Samsa, who lives in north Mississippi, said residents near the xAI facility in Southaven have experienced near-constant noise for nearly a year.
“There have been numerous occasions where I myself can hear the turbines from inside my home, and I live almost 2 miles away from the site,” she said.
The task force is scheduled to hear Tuesday from local leaders in affected communities as well as companies including Amazon.
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Inside the new Lego retailer, Bricks & Minifigs
Customers can buy or sell Legos and get individual bricks at the new store in Montrose.
Shoppers visiting Renaissance at Colony Park later this month will notice a big change.
Apple is moving to a new and larger store within the Ridgeland shopping center, while LEGO plans to take over Apple’s current location once the move is complete, according to Apple and other industry sources.
Apple has announced that its new store will open July 24 near the development’s Show Fountain. The company is not leaving Ridgeland. Instead, it is moving to a new location a short distance away inside Renaissance at Colony Park.
The company has operated a store at Renaissance for more than a decade. Once Apple moves into its new store, LEGO plans to open in the company’s former space. The addition will bring another well-known international brand to central Mississippi and give LEGO fans a dedicated store in the Jackson metro area.
It is another win for Ridgeland with last week’s announcement that a Dave & Buster’s that will be located at the PradoVista development near Topgolf. A site plan and architectural review for Dave & Buster’s was approved at the Ridgeland Board of Aldermen meeting on Tuesday, July 7.
Renaissance at Colony Park continues to thrive
Over the years, the center has attracted a mix of national retailers, restaurants and specialty stores. Previous developments at Renaissance have included luxury retailers, popular restaurant chains and entertainment options that draw shoppers from across Mississippi and neighboring states.
Apple’s new location will continue offering product sales, technical support and repair services. Customers will also be able to attend the company’s “Today at Apple” classes and workshops, which provide free lessons on photography, video, music and other topics.
Apple has not released details about the size of the new store. The Ridgeland project is one of several store moves announced this summer.
Renaissance keeps storefront
For Renaissance, the deal works in several ways.
Apple stays at the shopping center and receives a newer storefront. At the same time, the center fills Apple’s former location with another high-profile retailer instead of leaving the space vacant.
LEGO stores are often considered destination retailers because customers will drive long distances to visit them. Families, collectors and hobbyists frequently seek out official LEGO stores for exclusive products and special events.
For shoppers, the most immediate change will be Apple’s July 24 opening. Customers who need repairs, technical help or product purchases will be directed to the new store after the move.
LEGO has not yet announced an opening date.
Ross Reily is a writer for the Clarion Ledger, part of the USA TODAY Network. He can be reached at rreily@gannett.com or 601-573-2952. You can follow him on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter @GreenOkra1.
JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – Mississippi leaders across the board are reflecting on the legacy of service Sen. Lindsey Graham had in Washington, D.C.
3 On Your Side spoke on the phone with Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith who shared that Graham treated her like a little sister when she arrived to the Senate.
Their friendship grew outside of work, but one thing she’ll really cherish is the teamwork they developed to get things done with President Donald Trump.
“There were times he would come to me and say, OK sister, you’re going to have to break this news to Trump. If it was a difficult situation, he would say you got to soften him up, you call him and then I’ll call him after you but you’re the one that’s going to have to take care of this. Or you’ve got to go to Mar-a-Lago and handle this, but we were a pretty good team together because we were both close to the President,” said Sen. Hyde-Smith.
Sen. Hyde-Smith added, since coming to Washington, D.C., she looked up to Sen. Graham like an older brother in the chamber.
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