OurTupelo

WASHINGTON — A majority of Mississippi’s congressional delegation had little say about the vast welfare scandal that rocked the state for years and led to multiple people pleading guilty to state and federal crimes.  

Mississippi Today recently interviewed members of the state’s congressional delegation in Washington and asked each of them whether they were satisfied with the Department of Justice investigation, which began during President Donald Trump’s first term and stretched at least into the Biden administration. Congress has oversight of the Justice Department and has the authority to request information about the agency’s investigations.  

Seven people have pleaded guilty to crimes within the welfare scandal that first came to light in 2020. Millions of taxpayer dollars meant to provide support to the poor in one of the country’s most impoverished states were diverted to the rich and powerful — including pro athletes.

READ MORE: Mississippi Today’s Pulitzer Prize-winning series ‘The Backchannel’

In December 2024, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under Democratic President Joe Biden administration sent a penalty notice to Mississippi, determining the state must pay back nearly $101 million in welfare money it says officials misused. The state asked for an extension and has yet to make any repayment.

It’s unclear with a new Trump administration whether the investigation will ensnare more people or if the federal government will still force the state to repay the millions of dollars it believes were misused.

Prosecutors have suspended sentencing for the seven people until they decide they no longer need the defendants’ cooperation for potential cases against others. Federal authorities have been tight-lipped about the progress of their investigation or who else they might charge in the future.

Another person charged in connection with the scandal has been indicted on federal fraud charges. He has pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial. 

Todd Gee, who was U.S. attorney for southern Mississippi during the Biden administration, resigned once Trump won reelection. Trump has appointed Baxter Kruger as the new federal prosecutor for the district, but the U.S. Senate has not yet confirmed him.

Five years after prosecutors indicted six people in connection with the scandal, and with a new federal prosecutor’s nomination pending, followers of the scandal continue awaiting a resolution — accountability for all perpetrators of the theft. Many are concerned a resolution may never come.

U.S. Rep. Trent Kelly, a Republican who represents northeast Mississippi, said he knew that some of the misspending involved an organization in his district, a reference to the Tupelo-based Family Resource Center. That nonprofit’s former director is one of the people who pleaded guilty to federal charges within the scheme. Kelly, a former district attorney, believes federal and state officials have dealt with the misspending. 

“I trust them to dig in,” Kelly said of the U.S. attorney’s office. “We’ve gone through multiple administrations with that. Hopefully, the people are going to be held accountable, or the money is returned if it was taken inappropriately. Or either people are validated in saying they didn’t do anything wrong.” 

U.S. Rep. Mike Ezell, a Republican who represents the Gulf Coast and south Mississippi, said he wondered how much political motives have influenced the trajectory of the investigation that has spanned Republican and Democratic administrations. The welfare scandal has at times sparked conflict between state officials, including Republican State Auditor Shad White and Republican Attorney General Lynn Fitch, both of whom are seen as prospective candidates for governor in 2027.    

“That’s one of those things that just seems to, you sometimes wonder how much politics are involved in it,” Ezell said. “You know, the attorney general’s in on it, the auditor’s in on it. I know they’ve had some back and forth with each other about it, so I just kind of want to let them folks handle it themselves. But I will say, if anybody’s broken the law, if anybody’s intentionally stolen money, they need to be held accountable.” 

The welfare scandal and the issue at its core — the misspending of cash assistance provided through the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program — has remained a subject of concern in the state. Just last week, White’s office published a report alleging that a nonprofit that received over $2.4 million from the TANF program had fumbled its financial paperwork.     

U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson, the state’s lone Democrat in Washington who represents the Delta region and most of Jackson, was the only congressman from the delegation who said he was not satisfied with the Justice Department’s investigation and believes state officials should be held accountable for the misspending that occurred under their watch. 

“I think the state of Mississippi should be made and held accountable for its lack of management of those taxpayer dollars because the … intentions of Congress were not met by the expenditure of those funds,” Thompson said. 

U.S. Rep. Michael Guest, a Republican who represents central Mississippi, said he had not been briefed on the investigation and referred questions to the Justice Department. U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, a Republican, similarly stated that he didn’t have enough information about the situation to comment on its status.

U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith is the only member of the state’s delegation who did not grant an interview to Mississippi Today in Washington or respond to a request for comment about the welfare scandal.

Since the scandal, the state has spent less TANF money for basic cash assistance to needy families. 

In 2023, the latest year for which federal data is available, the state spent about $4.3 million of its welfare funds on basic cash assistance – even less than the state spent during the height of the fraud scandal 2016-2019, when an average of around $8 million was going towards direct cash annually.

But that decline also predates the scandal.

The number of families, children and adults receiving basic cash assistance in Mississippi through the federal TANF program has consistently declined from around 25,000 people in 2010 to an all-time low of under 2,200 in 2023, ticking up slightly to 2,500 in the most recent available data. 

The Mississippi Department of Human Services has said that “a request for assistance in the State of Mississippi is a request for help in finding and keeping a job.” But in September 2024, the latest month available, only 310 adults were in the program. The vast majority of families on the program, or 1,143 out of 1,464, were “no parent” families, meaning they did not contain an adult participating in the TANF Work Program.

The state agency has paid nearly $2.1 million to Jones Walker, the law firm representing the state in its civil lawsuit aimed at recouping the misspent funds. Most of it has been categorized as spending under the state’s TANF Work Program since 2022. Though publicly visible work on the state’s civil case against numerous entities alleged to have misspent TANF dollars has slowed to a crawl since last year. Jones Walker has continued raking in funds, nearly $300,000 since the beginning of this year.

The state has spent roughly $100 million in TANF funds since the beginning of fiscal year 2024. 

Here are the complete responses from the congressional delegation when asked if they were satisfied with the investigation into the welfare scandal by the Department of Justice. 

Trent Kelly 

“It had very little impact on me, so I don’t know what’s done. I think a lot of that is for political posturing so to speak, people wanting to run for office. I trust the attorney general, I trust all those folks who were there, the governor, to get to the bottom of where they were.

“I know there were grants and things in my district that I think they addressed. I don’t spend a whole lot of time thinking about it. It’s not something I can impact. I’ve learned in life I impact things I can, and things that are outside of my purview I just don’t worry about a whole lot.”

“I trust them to dig in. We’ve gone through multiple administrations with that. Hopefully the people are going to be held accountable or the money is returned if it was taken inappropriately. Or either people are validated in saying they didn’t do anything wrong.” 

Bennie Thompson 

“Of course not. It’s, for all intents and purposes, I’m not aware that (the U.S. Attorney’s office is) doing anything at this point beyond those individuals who have pleaded guilty. And … of other ineligible individuals having received TANF money. I’m not aware of anything.

“I think the state of Mississippi should be made and held accountable for its lack of management of those taxpayer dollars because the people — that we did in Washington creating the TANF program – the intentions of Congress were not met by the expenditure of those funds.

“Now HHS obviously is derelict in its oversight responsibilities for the expenditure of those funds, also.” 

Michael Guest

“Neither I nor my office has been briefed on the federal investigation into this matter.

“I defer to the Department of Justice to answer any questions as to the status of the investigation and if any additional prosecutions may be forthcoming.”

Mike Ezell 

“That’s one of those things that just seems to, you sometimes wonder how much politics are involved in it. I really hadn’t put a lot of thought into that because, you know, my background being a law enforcement officer, I think if there was some cheating and there was some embezzling, if there was any sort of illegal activity, I’m sure that the auditor’s going to find it. And you know, those that need to be prosecuted, they’ll be prosecuted. You know, the attorney general’s in on it, the auditor’s in on it. I know they’ve had some back and forth with each other about it, so I just kind of want to let them folks handle it themselves. But I will say, if anybody’s broken the law, if anybody’s intentionally stolen money, they need to be held accountable.

“On issues with programs like TANF: When you set up a program, you’ve got to have checks and balances. And sometimes the big problem that I have seen in government is that we don’t have enough checks and balances to follow the money, to see where it’s going, to see that the people that need the money are getting the help that they need. And that that is one of one of the things that I have complained about over the years.”

Roger Wicker

“I really don’t know enough to comment on that.

“It’s not something that’s taking my time.” 

Cindy Hyde-Smith 

She did not sit down for an interview with Mississippi Today in Washington, and her office did not respond to a request for comment. 

Mississippi Today editor Anna Wolfe contributed to this report.

Mississippi Today, the state’s flagship nonprofit newsroom, has named veteran journalist Emily Wagster Pettus as its next editor-in-chief.

Pettus, one of the South’s most respected journalists, brings more than three decades of experience covering Mississippi to her new post. As Mississippi Today’s Senior Editor since May, she has helped shape the newsroom’s editorial direction, mentored its journalists and met with stakeholders across the state who believe in the power of strong local journalism.

Pettus succeeds Adam Ganucheau, who has moved into a regional leadership role as Executive Editor & Chief Content Officer of Deep South Today, Mississippi Today’s parent organization. The changes took effect Monday.

“It is thrilling that Emily gets to write Mississippi Today’s next chapter,” Ganucheau said. “She cares so deeply about our state and the Mississippians we serve, and she knows them so well. Her leadership has already proven vital to our newsroom’s incredible staff and our planning for what’s next. Mississippi Today’s future is, without any doubt, in such capable hands, and I can’t wait to see how the newsroom grows from here.”

READ MORE: Adam Ganucheau named Executive Editor & Chief Content Officer of Deep South Today

The dean of the Mississippi Capitol Press Corps, Pettus covered Mississippi for The Associated Press from 2001 until January 2025. She previously reported for The Clarion-Ledger, The Vicksburg Evening Post and The Oxford Eagle. She is a graduate of the University of Mississippi.

Her reporting has been widely praised for its fairness, accuracy and depth. In March, the Mississippi Legislature honored her with a resolution recognizing her contributions to journalism and public understanding. She is also a past recipient of the University of Mississippi’s prestigious Silver Em Award.

“Mississippi Today has a strong record of holding public officials accountable and shining light on complex issues that people in our state face on a daily basis,” Pettus said. “We will continue doing that with a newsroom full of smart, talented journalists who care deeply about this place.”

About Deep South Today

Deep South Today is a nonprofit network of local newsrooms that includes Mississippi Today, Verite News and The Current.

Founded in 2016, Mississippi Today is now the largest newsroom in the state, and in 2023 it won the Pulitzer Prize for Local Reporting. Verite News launched in 2022 in New Orleans, where it covers inequities facing communities of color. The Current is a nonprofit news organization founded in 2018 serving Lafayette and southern Louisiana.

With its regional scale and scope, Deep South Today is rebuilding and re-energizing local journalism in communities where it had previously eroded, and ensuring its long-term growth and sustainability.

Deep South Today, a growing nonprofit network of independent newsrooms in Louisiana and Mississippi, has named Adam Ganucheau as its first Executive Editor & Chief Content Officer.

Ganucheau has led Mississippi Today as Editor-in-Chief since April 2020 and began his new position on Monday. He steps into a regional leadership role overseeing Deep South Today’s editorial and content strategy across its growing network of nonprofit newsrooms. 

Working closely with Deep South Today President and CEO Warwick Sabin, Ganucheau will support the newsgathering efforts of Deep South Today’s existing outlets, provide essential direction for the launch of new newsrooms across the region and identify impactful editorial collaborations.

“As Deep South Today continues to expand its geographic reach and forge new partnerships, we need to ensure that we have a coherent content strategy and can provide editorial support to our newsrooms,” Sabin said. “Adam Ganucheau is the perfect person to provide that leadership as our first Executive Editor & Chief Content Officer. He has been enormously successful as the Editor-in-Chief of Mississippi Today, he knows our organization intimately and he has the respect of his colleagues and the national journalism community. I am looking forward to working even more closely with Adam as we build a sustainable model to deliver essential local news to the communities we serve across the Deep South.”

Ganucheau is succeeded at Mississippi Today by Emily Wagster Pettus, who has been the newsroom’s Senior Editor since May.

READ MORE: Emily Wagster Pettus named Editor-in-Chief of Mississippi Today

Under Ganucheau’s leadership, Mississippi Today grew into the largest newsroom in the state, earning a reputation for hard-hitting investigative reporting and developing innovative audio, video and community engagement initiatives.

Mississippi Today also was recognized with numerous national journalism awards under Ganucheau’s leadership. The newsroom won one Pulitzer Prize and was named a finalist for a second. It also won two Goldsmith Prizes, a Livingston Award, a Collier Prize and numerous Society of Professional Journalists regional awards. Many of the newsroom’s successes came in the face of one of the most aggressive and notable attacks on the free press in modern U.S. history, leading to Mississippi Today’s receipt of the National Press Club’s highest honor for press freedom.

“It has been the honor of my career to lead Mississippi Today’s newsroom through a period of remarkable growth and impact. I’m incredibly proud of the work our journalists do for Mississippians, and I’m grateful to have been a part of it,” Ganucheau said. “I’m energized by the opportunity to step into this new role at Deep South Today to expand the reach of our mission across the region and keep working hard to shore up a sustainable model for local news.”

About Deep South Today

Deep South Today is a nonprofit network of local newsrooms that includes Mississippi Today, Verite News, and The Current.

Founded in 2016, Mississippi Today is now the largest newsroom in the state, and in 2023 it won the Pulitzer Prize for Local Reporting. Verite News launched in 2022 in New Orleans, where it covers inequities facing communities of color. The Current is a nonprofit news organization founded in 2018 serving Lafayette and southern Louisiana.

With its regional scale and scope, Deep South Today is rebuilding and re-energizing local journalism in communities where it had previously eroded, and ensuring its long-term growth and sustainability.

The Jackson Convention Complex was abuzz with activity.

Upstairs, groups of teens got to learn about topics such as starting a business and working at nonprofit organizations. Downstairs, one group of students browsed tables, talking to representatives from local colleges, nonprofits, and more. One table passed out free candy-colored popcorn.

Christopher Steverson, a senior at Jackson’s Callaway High School, was among the many students in attendance.

“I love making money,” Steverson said. “Money’s always there, you just have to find a way to get it.”

Steverson, 18, runs a lawn care business with his father, and is working on his own streetwear line and has two properties from his father.

He’s one of about 200 high school students from the Jackson metro area who attended workshops and received hands-on experience on college and career readiness, financial literacy and business skills Wednesday at the Entrepreneurship and Employability Skills Symposium. 

United Way of the Capital Area and Jackson State University TRIO Talent Search partnered to put on the event. Tiffany Anderson, the United Way affiliate’s economic mobility coordinator, said young people are working in the gig economy.

“They’re doing braids. They are doing makeup. They are influencers. They’re Ubering,” Anderson said. “They’re doing all the things, so we just want to set them up for success and to do things the right way.” 

Steverson attended to network and explore his interests. He learned about improving his credit score and investing in an individual retirement account. He hoped his peers at the event learned new ways to make money.

“I feel like with money, I have the opportunity to change things that not too many people will be able to without,” Steverson said.

At lunch, students listened to a speech from Nick, Khaliq and Kareem Brown from Boss Brothers Universe, a Jackson-based company that publishes books and online videos teaching children about financial literacy and entrepreneurship.

Kymora Dorsey, who attended last year, was excited to volunteer this year as a youth ambassador for United Way. Dorsey, 17, is a senior at Callaway High School.

“I realized that it was a great idea for people to understand what it means to have a business and get an understanding of financial literacy as well as the opportunity to earn $200 as a reward for their ideas,” Dorsey said.

To cap off the day, teams of students competed in a “Shark Tank”-style competition for cash prizes. Each team was coached by a local business owner. This year, two teams won, and each participant earned $250. The students could choose whether to start a bank account with the money or invest it in their business. 

United Way of the Capital Area is a nonprofit organization that works to improve local communities. Jackson State University TRIO Talent Search provides support and resources to help Jackson Public Schools students graduate from high school and college.

“I hope that they learned today, if nothing else, that you have a voice and that you can use your voice,” said Teresa Palmer-Jones, director of TRIO Talent Search.

A Mississippi infant recently died from pertussis, or whooping cough, the State Department of Health announced Monday. 

It is the first whooping cough death reported in Mississippi since 2012 and the third since 2008. 

Whooping cough cases in Mississippi are the highest they have been in at least a decade.

The infant was not eligible to be vaccinated against the disease due to his or her age, the agency said in a statement. 

State Health Officer Dr. Dan Edney has repeatedly said that vaccines are the best defense against diseases like pertussis.

Because infants are not eligible for the pertussis vaccination until they are two months old, the health department recommends that pregnant women, grandparents and family or friends who may come in close contact with an infant get booster shots to ensure they do not pass the illness to children.

This year, 115 pertussis cases have been reported to the health department, compared to 49 total last year. 

Over 20,000 whooping cough cases have been reported across the U.S. this year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

The highly contagious respiratory illness is named for the “whooping” sound people make when gasping for air after a coughing fit. It may begin like a common cold but can last for weeks or months and make it difficult to breathe. Babies younger than 1 year are at greatest risk for getting whooping cough, and can have severe complications that often require hospitalization. 

Mississippi for many years had the highest child vaccination rates in the nation. But rates have fallen since 2023, when a federal judge ruled that parents can opt out of vaccinating their children for school with a religious exemption.  

The pertussis vaccination is administered in a five-dose series for children under 7 and booster doses for older children and adults. 

Immunity from pertussis vaccination wanes over time, and there is not a routine recommendation for boosters. 

The Mississippi Health Department offers vaccinations to children and uninsured or underinsured adults at county health departments.

READ MORE: School choice opponents warn lawmakers of segregation and financial collapse as advocates tout ‘education freedom’

HOLLY RIDGE, La. — In a rural corner of Louisiana, Meta is building one of the world’s largest data centers, a $10 billion behemoth as big as 70 football fields that will consume more power in a day than the entire city of New Orleans at the peak of summer.

The colossal project is impossible to miss in Richland Parish, a farming community of 20,000 residents, about 50 miles west of Vicksburg, Mississippi. But not everything is visible, including how much the social media giant will pay toward the more than $3 billion in new electricity infrastructure needed to power the facility.

Watchdogs have warned that in the rush to capitalize on the AI-driven data center boom, some states are allowing massive tech companies to direct expensive infrastructure projects with limited oversight.

Mississippi lawmakers allowed Amazon to bypass regulatory approval for energy infrastructure to serve two data centers it is spending $10 billion to build. In Indiana, a utility is proposing a data center-focused subsidiary that operates outside normal state regulations. And while Louisiana says it has added consumer safeguards, it lags behind other states in its efforts to insulate regular power consumers from data center-related costs.

Mandy DeRoche, an attorney for the environmental advocacy group Earthjustice, says there is less transparency due to confidentiality agreements and rushed approvals.

“You can’t follow the facts, you can’t follow the benefits or the negative impacts that could come to the service area or to the community,” DeRoche said.

Private deals for public power supply

Under contract with Meta, power company Entergy agreed to build three gas-powered plants that would produce 2,262 megawatts — equivalent to a fifth of Entergy’s current power supply in Louisiana. The Public Service Commission approved Meta’s infrastructure plan in August after Entergy agreed to bolster protections to prevent a spike in residential rates.

Nonetheless, nondisclosure agreements conceal how much Meta will pay.

Consumer advocates tried but failed to compel Meta to provide sworn testimony, submit to discovery and face cross-examination during a regulatory review. Regulators reviewed Meta’s contract with Entergy, but were barred from revealing details.

Meta did not address AP’s questions about transparency, while Louisiana’s economic development agency and Entergy say nondisclosure agreements are standard to protect sensitive commercial data.

Davante Lewis — the only one of five public service commissioners to vote against the plan — said he’s still unclear how much electricity the center will use, if gas-powered plants are the most economical option nor if it will create the promised 500 jobs.

“There’s certain information we should know and need to know but don’t have,” Lewis said.

Additionally, Meta is exempt from paying sales tax under a 2024 Louisiana law that the state acknowledges could lead to “tens of millions of dollars or more each year” in lost revenue.

Meta has agreed to fund about half the cost of building the power plants over 15 years, including cost overruns, but not maintenance and operation, said Logan Burke, executive director of the Alliance for Affordable Energy, a consumer advocacy group.

Public Service Commission Jean-Paul Coussan insists there will be “very little” impact on ratepayers.

But watchdogs warn Meta could pull out of or not renew its contract, leaving the public to pay for the power plants over the rest of their 30-year life span, and all grid users are expected to help pay for the $550 million transmission line serving Meta’s facility.

Ari Peskoe, director of Harvard University’s Electricity Law Initiative, said tech companies should be required to pay “every penny so the public is not left holding the bag.”

How is this tackled in other states?

Elsewhere, tech companies are not being given such leeway. More than a dozen states have taken steps to protect households and business ratepayers from paying for rising electricity costs tied to energy-hungry data centers.

Pennsylvania’s utilities commission is drafting a model rate structure to insulate customers from rising costs related to data centers. New Jersey’s utilities regulators are studying whether data centers cause “unreasonable” cost increases for other users. Oregon passed legislation this year ordering utilities regulators to develop new, and likely higher, power rates for data centers.

And in June, Texas implemented what it calls a “kill switch” law empowering grid operators to order data centers to reduce their electrical load during emergencies.

Locals have mixed feelings

Some Richland Parish residents fear a boom-and-bust cycle once construction ends. Others expect a boost in school and health care funding. Meta said it plans to invest in 1,500 megawatts of renewable energy in Louisiana and $200 million in water and road infrastructure in Richland Parish.

“We don’t come from a wealthy parish and the money is much needed,” said Trae Banks, who runs a drywall business that has tripled in size since Meta arrived.

In the nearby town of Delhi, Mayor Jesse Washington believes the data center will eventually have a positive impact on his community of 2,600.

But for now, the construction traffic frustrates residents and property prices are skyrocketing as developers try to house thousands of construction workers. More than a dozen low-income families were evicted from a trailer park whose owners are building housing for incoming Meta workers, Washington says.

“We have a lot of concerned people — they’ve put hardship on a lot of people in certain areas here,” the mayor said. “I just want to see people from Delhi benefit from this.”

The Associated Press’ Sophie Bates reported from Holly Ridge, Louisiana, and Jack Brook reported from New Orleans. Brook is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

Mississippi Today reporter Alex Rozier gives an update on the city of Jackson’s third-party water utility system, how the organization’s request to raise the water rates on customers in the capital city is playing out in federal court and if the water system can sustain natural disasters in the future.

Jennifer Allen has wanted to be a teacher since high school. She admired her social studies and English teachers especially. After four years studying elementary education at Delta State University and a full-time teaching position in a local district her senior year, she felt she had cleared all the important hurdles to becoming a certified teacher in Mississippi.

But then came PRAXIS, a series of tests that nearly every teacher in Mississippi must take to become a certified teacher. 

“It made me second guess a career that I fell in love with,” she said. “Much of what I learned over the four years of college is not in the practice material.”

She’s not alone. In roughly half of public and private universities with education programs, 50% or more of students do not pass at least one section of the PRAXIS exam on their first try.

Some students even opted for more classes at school to bypass having to take the test, which would mean an additional $1,200 for Allen.

Nearly a quarter of the 1,892 Mississippi test takers walked away after flunking on the first attempt of the most commonly taken PRAXIS Elementary Education exam from 2015 to 2018, leaving fewer teachers to fill a growing list of teacher vacancies in critical shortage areas.

The Board of Education implemented a waiver during the pandemic to allow students to be certified without taking the PRAXIS, but that waiver ended in December 2021. Students graduating as late as December 2023 took advantage of the waiver.

Now university education departments, school district officials and teachers are struggling to re-adjust to a more rigid path to teacher licensure.

“It’s outrageous that effective educators are dismissed by the profession for not passing PRAXIS,” said Clayton Barksdale, a former public school principal in Greenville and executive director of the West Mississippi Education Consortium. “Many prove their impact while on emergency licenses, only to be fired then immediately rehired as a long-term substitute – doing the same work for a fraction of the pay, with no benefits or retirement.”

“We must do better.”

Shortage areas

Didriquez Smith has taken the PRAXIS content test three times and spent nearly a thousand dollars. He coaches football at Clarksdale High School and teaches physical education on an emergency license.

He failed just one of the three tests in his past two attempts: Foundations of Reading, which covers reading comprehension and teaching reading.

The Praxis exam has several parts. The content knowledge test covers the subject aspiring teachers want to teach, like biology or elementary English. The Principles of Learning test covers how teachers should prepare lesson plans and approach classroom instruction for different subjects. Students who don’t have at least a 3.0 GPA must also take an Academic Skills for Educators test, which is also called PRAXIS Core.

Per try, the elementary education exam costs $209, and the PRAXIS core test $90. Some of the content tests such as art instruction cost $130.

Smith had to travel nearly 300 miles to Birmingham to take his third attempt at the test because the test wasn’t offered closer at the end of the school year. He is currently saving up enough money to take it again.

He loves his job, particularly informing his community about the importance of healthy habits. 

He hopes he can continue to keep students healthy and active at school. In the Mississippi Delta, the obesity rate among children is 29%.

However, if he can’t pass each required PRAXIS test in the next year, he may be out of a job. As much as his boss in the principal’s office may want to keep him in his role, state regulations penalize schools in their annual accountability scores if they have faculty teaching without a license. Schools can also lose accreditation.

Since childhood, Skylar Ball had planned on becoming a kindergarten teacher. She followed her mother into education, even attending the same alma mater of Blue Mountain Christian University. 

“Teaching elementary school is like Disney World,” she said. “Elementary students, you can do so much with them. You can make an early impact.”

However, one and a half years after graduation, she remains an assistant teacher, making several thousand less a month than she budgeted for while she saves enough money to take the PRAXIS exam for the third time. 

She was two questions shy of passing on her latest attempt.

“I was so blessed to educate 20 amazing kindergartners last school year under an emergency license … I am currently a paraprofessional in an amazing district, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t upset about not being able to lead a classroom of my own,” Ball said.

She struggled with the Elementary Education exam, a PRAXIS test with the lowest pass rate in the state. Although she was aiming to become a kindergarten English teacher, her test covered kindergarten through sixth grade instruction as well as science, math, art, English, and social studies, among other subjects.

In an analysis conducted by the National Council on Teacher Quality, the nonprofit found that Mississippi’s Elementary Education content test has a subpar job measuring whether would-be teachers have the knowledge and skills needed for a career in their classrooms.

“Does this test tell districts if they are prepared to lead an elementary school classroom in this content area? It does not,” said Hannah Putman, managing director of research at the National Council on Teacher Quality.

The university’s role

Universities in Mississippi play an important role in filling teacher vacancies with fresh talent. Pass rates on PRAXIS exams vary among universities with Alcorn State University posting the lowest first-time pass rates, according to the most recent data from 2022-2023 school year. Mississippi Valley State University posted that none of its students took two of the three main PRAXIS exams for the same year.

This data has a smaller sample size of teachers as a majority gained licensure under the  COVID waiver.

Mississippi College posted the best results with over 93% of students passing the pedagogy section test and 100% of students passing both the content test and the Foundations of Reading test. Over 90% of University of Southern Mississippi students passed their three PRAXIS exams.

Timolin Howard, a Mississippi Valley State graduate, doesn’t regret enrolling in the school’s masters in teaching program. She believes instructors have given her the tools to succeed in the classroom.

After finding out her test scores were insufficient for licensure, she had a stroke. She also says she received mixed messaging from the state licensure board regarding cut-off scores.

“I found that, while I was well-prepared for real-world teaching, I wasn’t fully prepared for the demands of the certification exams,” she said.

She said she can manage students, build lesson plans and come up with classroom activities that help students master common core competencies. But Howard realized she had gaps in her foundational knowledge when it came to studying for the PRAXIS exams. She reached out to her school for help.

The university cancelled a workshop taught on campus, which was preparing students for the Foundations of Reading exam. It wasn’t the first a PRAXIS preparation workshop was cancelled, Howard said.

“It left me feeling overwhelmed as I tried to catch up, and it significantly impacted my confidence, academic performance and health,” she said.

This year, her Delta school district released her from her contract because she lacked the right licensure.

Mississippi Valley State University’s education department did not respond to comment despite repeated attempts to reach representatives.

Grow Your Own

For eight years, Adrienne Hudson has led the nonprofit organization RISE, which helps recruit and retain new teachers in Mississippi Delta school districts.

Hudson had already been informally mentoring and tutoring teachers who struggled with the PRAXIS exam and other technical aspects of licensure in her Clarksdale school. She founded RISE to help more.

Hudson takes pride in the start of performance-based licensure in her district. Letting teachers become certified teachers through improving test scores in state-tested subjects will help schools retain talented teachers, said Hudson of the new path to teacher certification.

“Some of the responsibilities are on the university and some are the systems that require the test to be the measuring stick for becoming a teacher,” she said. “We have students getting dean’s list, who can’t pass the test.”

More would-be teachers are going back to school later in life than ever before. Fewer teachers are entering the traditional route, which involves majoring in education as an undergraduate as opposed to the alternate route through a masters. In the 2018-2019 school year, 27% of students getting an education degree went the alternate route in 2022-2023, 45% did.

Tony Latiker, dean of Jackson State University’s school of education, saw a similar trend. He theorizes the reason so many students are going the alternative route is because of the many requirements that await undergraduates at the end of their four years. Alternative route students have fewer testing requirements to meet.

One solution he has found is to have traditional route students take exams closer to when they finish coursework that corresponds. For example, he encourages students to take the Foundations of Reading exam after they complete their early literacy courses, which are offered in some form at all Mississippi universities with an education program.

Jackson State also offers an elective that prepares students for the PRAXIS tests and other technical requirements of licensure. Professors and visiting instructors also host workshops on campus.

“We really should be questioning the exams,” Latiker told Mississippi Today. “I’m not against the exams and testing, but I’m against them being the high stakes tests they are. It should be a part of a more holistic process, incorporating district personnel and university faculty input in classrooms, assessing pre-service teachers and interns at the end of lessons, to see if they’re actually effective.”

For a while Saturday, it looked as if we might be stepping back in time — at least where Mississippi college football is concerned.

Back to 2014.

Remember?

For a while there, both Mississippi State and Ole Miss both ranked among the nation’s top three football teams. State, coached by Dan Mullen, was No. 1. Ole Miss, coached by Hugh Freeze, was No. 3. At one point, both teams were a perfect 7-0. The college football world was astonished. Actually, so were most of us Mississippians. No, it didn’t last, but wasn’t it fun while it did?

Fast forward to Saturday: Ole Miss surely did its part, earning a solid, not-as-close-as-it-sounds 24-19 victory over previously No. 4 LSU to move to 5-0. After a slow start, the Rebels dominated LSU, nearly doubling the Tigers in total offense. In one of the most amazing stats you’ll see this year, the Rebels were penalized for nearly twice as much yardage (109) as LSU was able to gain (59) running the ball.

The Rebels, previously ranked No. 13, soared to No. 4. Trinidad Chambliss should enter the far-too-soon discussions of who might win the Heisman Trophy. And it is not in any way too soon for Chambliss to enter any discussion of the most interesting story in this, or any, college football season. From Division II Ferriss State and the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference to Ole Miss and the SEC. From the D-II national championship to the FBS national championship contention. More on that later.

Meanwhile, in Starkville, Mississippi State did everything but knock off 15th ranked Tennessee. If State isn’t the most improved college football team in the nation, the Bulldogs are in the first sentence of any paragraph written on that subject. Southern Miss might be in the next sentence, and we’ll get to the Golden Eagles, too.

State led for much of the game and battled the Volunteers on even or better terms throughout. Watching the Bulldogs these days, it is hard to fathom that just a season ago they lost 10 games, nine by double digits, and defeated only one FBS team. But then, that’s the way it goes in today’s college football world in which if you have the money — and spend it wisely — you can turn over your roster and turn around your football fortunes in one offseason. State and head coach Jeff Lebby clearly spent wisely. 

Same goes for Southern Miss, which spent most wisely, it seems, on Charles Huff, the head coach who last year led Marshall to the Sun Belt Championship and brought with him to Hattiesburg 21 of the players who helped him win it. Clearly, the most critical of those Marshall transfers is quarterback Braylon Braxton, who has thrown for 11 touchdowns and run for another. In Saturday night’s 42-25 pasting of Jacksonville State (which clobbered USM 44-7 a year ago), three for two scores and ran for another and did not turn the ball over.

But let’s get back to Ole Miss, which appears to have all the necessary ingredients to make a run — not only to the FBS playoffs but in the playoffs, as well. Those ingredients include:

• A special player at quarterback. Chambliss reminds me most of Kyler Murray, who won the Heisman Trophy in 2018, throwing for 42 touchdowns and running for 11 in leading the Oklahoma Sooners to an 11-2 record. What’s more, the Rebels have Austin Simmons, who opened the season as the starter, in reserve.
• A balanced offense that also features running back Kewan Lacy and a host of speedy receivers. Lacy, who runs hard but can also make people miss, has run for 445 yards and eight touchdowns. He is what Ole Miss did not have – or at least did not utilize – last season.
• Speed, speed, speed on defense. The Rebels run to the football and hit hard when they get there. Pete Golding continues to do a masterful job. LSU ran the ball 21 times for 59 yards.
• Inside stoppers on defense. This was a perceived weakness with the Rebels losing first round draft pick Walter Nolen and also JJ Pegues. But Ole Miss looks at least as proficient with gargantuan tackle Zxavian Harris and Will Echoles promoted to fill the void. LSU couldn’t block them.
• A sound kicking game. With the Ole Miss offense, the Rebels punter is often much like the Maytag repairman, but Australian Oscar Bird has been excellent when called upon. Placekicker Lucas Carneiro has hit 11 of 12 field goals, including three of four beyond 40 yards. 

The Ole Miss schedule, by SEC standards, is doable. The Rebels don’t have to play Alabama, Texas, Texas A&M, Missouri or Vanderbilt (yes, I just wrote that). They do play both Georgia and Oklahoma both on the road and back-to-back. South Carolina is no gimme and neither is Mississippi State for that matter. But again, in the SEC, it could be a whole lot worse.

The Rebels have a week off, before Washington State, a 59-10 loser to North Texas, visits for homecoming. Then, it’s at Georgia and at Oklahoma, back to back.

Will the bubble burst? Or will Trinidad Chambliss, the best story in college football, add to seemingly tall tale? We shall see.