Education will be key focus for state in 2013 according to officials.

“The most aggressive … legislative session on education will take place next year,” Republican Gov. Phil Bryant said at the Mississippi Economic Council’s annual Hobnob event where much of the state’s business community hears from the elected leadership.

Speaking under a large tent on the grounds of the state’s Agriculture Museum, Bryant said during the upcoming session he would promote his plan to pay teachers based on performance and to ensure children are not promoted to the fourth grade until they can read on grade level. But he promised additional training for teachers to provide innovative ways to help children read.

Many of the state’s other political leaders spoke about education at the event where Mississippi’s trade relationship with Canada was highlighted. A key to maintaining that trade relationship and enhancing it with Canada and other countries is education, various leaders said.

“We have to do a better job of educating our children,” House Speaker Philip Gunn, R-Clinton, told the about 1,000 people in attendance.

Even Republican Treasurer Lynn Fitch focused her speech on education – financial literacy. She said she would work during the 2013 session to convince the Legislature to make Mississippi the fifth state in the nation to require students to take a semester on personal finance before they graduate.

“Our children’s understanding of financial literacy is a game changer,” she said.

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Blueprint aims to boost Miss. economic prospects – Forbes.com

JACKSON, Miss. — Mississippi can improve its economic outlook by investing in research, reducing government regulation of businesses and developing incentives to attract and retain highly educated workers, particularly those with strong skills in math and science, a new report says.

Blueprint Mississippi 2011 also recommends expanding the health care sector, decreasing the teenage pregnancy rate and creating a high-quality early childhood education and development system.

And it recommends strengthening racial reconciliation efforts.

Hank Bounds, chairman of the Mississippi Economic Council’s Blueprint Mississippi 2011 effort and current state Commissioner of Higher Education, said a main emphasis of the report was on improving Mississippi’s economy.

“We still have lots of work to do … great progress has been made but we still have miles to go,” he said.

Bounds said the long-term goal is to ensure the economy prospers so people’s children and grandchildren can stay in Mississippi and find good jobs when they grow up.

Mississippi Economic Council President Blake Wilson said that over the past eight years Mississippi has greatly improved its work force training and economic incentive programs that it offers to companies to move to the state or to expand existing operations.

“Mississippi has moved into a place of great promise. You’ve got to continue to make sure your edge is sharp,” Wilson said.

On Jan. 5, at the Mississippi Economic Council’s Capital Day, Wilson said they will release a more detailed set of data. He said an action plan to be presented to the new governor and lieutenant governor of what the business community thinks needs to be done to reach Blueprint goals.

Blueprint 2011 was released Thursday during events in Jackson, Tupelo and Biloxi.

The report comes from a $1.25 million, privately funded research project sponsored by the Mississippi Economic Council, the Mississippi Partnership for Economic Development and Momentum Mississippi.

Work on the project started in January at several of the state’s universities.

A previous Blueprint Mississippi was released in 2004.

via Blueprint aims to boost Miss. economic prospects – Forbes.com.

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BLUEPRINT MISSISSIPPI 2011 GOALS, RECOMMENDATIONS TO BE RELEASED OCT. 13

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The primary goals and recommendations for Blueprint Mississippi 2011 will be unveiled at three briefings on Thursday, Oct. 13. Blueprint Mississippi is a major statewide initiative to create an action strategy for putting Mississippi in the place of greatest opportunity.

The meetings will discuss some of the key findings from the Blueprint Mississippi research process that began in January. The briefings, which will be held the northern, central and southern parts of the state, will outline goals and recommendations to keep Mississippi’s economy moving forward. The full report and documentation will be released on Jan.5, 2011 at MEC Capital Day.

All meetings are open to the public and there is no cost to attend, but pre-registration is required at blueprintmississippi.com. Locations and times for the meetings are:

Jackson – 7:30-9 a.m. — Jackson Convention Complex (breakfast)

Tupelo – 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. — BancorpSouth Conference Center (lunch)

Biloxi – 3:30-5 p.m. — Beau Rivage Resort & Casino (reception)

“Building on the foundation provided by Blueprint 2004, Blueprint 2011 represents the collective thoughts of thousands of Mississippians who have participated in the development of this plan, which gives us a very clear roadmap with specific, actionable recommendations for putting Mississippi in the position of greatest opportunity,” said Dr. Hank M. Bounds, Commissioner of Higher Education and Chair of Blueprint 2011. “Blueprint 2011 is a public-private partnership that serves as a model for how the resulting recommendations can be achieved. Working together, we can advance the state and create a brighter, more prosperous future for our children and grandchildren.”

The Blueprint Mississippi 2011 process focused on four broad foundational areas: Educational Achievement; Resource Management; Economic Competitiveness; and Technology Commercialization. It also looked at issues that cut across all four foundation areas, focusing on Community Life, Racial Reconciliation, Health Care and Infrastructure. The $1.25 million research project is totally funded by the private sector in cooperation with the Mississippi Economic Council, Mississippi Partnership for Economic Development and Momentum Mississippi.

“The Blueprint process has highlighted the amazing progress taking place in Mississippi in economic development, education, and workforce training. There also is a renewed pride in Mississippians from all regions,” said Blake Wilson, president and CEO of the Mississippi Economic Council. “It has been a very comprehensive process, which has included input from thousands of leaders throughout the state. By having such a broad range of ideas, it has allowed for the development of goals and recommendations that can truly move Mississippi forward.”

Research for Blueprint Mississippi 2011 was conducted by Mississippi’s research universities. Citizen-led advisory committees met this summer to determine key priorities, and the goals and recommendations were finalized by the Blueprint Steering Committee. For more information or to register for the Oct. 13 briefings go to: www.blueprintmississippi.com .

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