William Carey University hosted a local delegation from the Mississippi House of Representatives at a luncheon and round-table discussion about the state’s persistent teacher shortage.
State Rep. Kent McCarty, R-Hattiesburg, helped organize the Oct. 5 meeting. McCarty represents District 101 in Lamar County.
“Our Pine Belt delegation represents an area with strong education resources – two universities, community colleges, and K-12 schools. I think it’s important that we get together and talk about ways we can work together on education issues because it’s something everyone in this area, both elected officials and constituents, care about a great deal,” McCarty said.
“William Carey University has shown impressive results in its efforts to address the teacher shortage. That’s something that everyone in our delegation wants to understand. We can take that information back with us to Jackson and see what we can do on the state level to adapt William Carey’s methods in recruitment, retention and training of classroom teachers.”
State representatives in attendance also included:
- Missy McGee, R-Hattiesburg (District 102 - Forrest, Lamar)
- Ken Morgan, R-Morgantown (District 100 – Lamar, Marion)
- Bill Pigott, R-Tylertown (District 99 – Lamar, Marion, Walthall)
- Noah Sanford, R-Collins (District 90 – Covington, Jefferson Davis, Simpson)
- Joseph Tubb, R-Purvis (District 87 – Forrest, Lamar)
Education partnerships“Our state and local officials have always been supportive of William Carey’s efforts on behalf of Mississippi, and we are pleased that they gave of their time to come to campus and hear about Carey partnerships to alleviate the teacher shortage,” said WCU President Dr. Tommy King.
“Dr. Ben Burnett, our executive vice president, and Dr. Teresa Poole, dean of the School of Education, have done an outstanding job in making Carey’s education program the largest of any private school in the mid-south.”
After the lunch meeting, Burnett took state representatives on a golf cart tour of the Hattiesburg campus.
“William Carey is doing incredible and innovative things in higher education in Mississippi, and the campus is absolutely sparkling and all new. When I think about what this campus looked like after a tornado ripped through it in early 2017, I am amazed to see what it has become today – and in just four years,” said State Rep. Missy McGee.
Teacher Shortage ConferenceWhat’s next: On Nov. 4, William Carey University and the Gulfport School District will host the 1st Annual Statewide Teacher Shortage Conference. The free, day-long event for educators will be held at WCU’s Tradition campus near Biloxi.
“At the conference, attendees will hear from current and future educators about the obstacles they’ve faced in pursing their dreams of becoming teachers. There will also be breakout sessions with a goal of producing a set of steps that can be used by school districts to help solve the teacher shortage,” Burnett said.
Seating at the 1st Annual Statewide Teacher Shortage Conference is limited. If you are interested in attending, please call the WCU School of Education at (601) 318-6299.
In the photo: A local delegation from the Mississippi House of Representatives met with William Carey officials to discuss the teacher shortage, from left: Dr. Ben Burnett; State Rep. Joseph Tubb, R-Purvis; State Rep. Missy McGee, R-Hattiesburg; State Rep. Ken Morgan, R-Morgantown; Dr. Tommy King; Dr. Janet Williams; State Rep. Bill Pigott, R-Tylertown; State Rep. Kent McCarty, R-Hattiesburg; and State Rep. Noah Sanford, R-Collins.
