Mississippi might give every student a computer, but first they need to fix their internet

Lawmakers met Wednesday with education officials, business representatives and lobbyists to discuss how to spend hundreds of millions of federal dollars to improve internet access and distance learning in Mississippi ahead of the 2020-21 school year.

The coronavirus pandemic upended the current school year. Graduation ceremonies were postponed. Testing was canceled. Now, as coronavirus cases continue to grow, it's unclear what exactly the upcoming school year will look like, but the state is preparing for empty desks and dark classrooms.

“Everything that we’re hearing and reading says that we are going to be in this situation fall to late fall," Mississippi Superintendent of Education Carey Wright told a Senate committee. "I don’t think there’s anybody medically that’s not saying this, so we need to be prepared to do this.”

The Legislature is in control of $1.25 billion of federal CARES Act money, and a significant portion of that money is expected to go toward improving distance learning. Lawmakers and education officials said they want every public school student to have a computer or tablet they can use from home for schoolwork.

But implementing a successful distance learning curriculum statewide is far more complex than putting a computer in the hands of every student. Lawmakers at the Capitol Wednesday said the success of distance learning will hinge on making broadband internet accessible to every household, especially those in rural communities.

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"We're not holding anybody to anything you say today, OK. We're kicking around ideas," said Rep. Scott Bounds, R-Philadelphia, chairman of the Public Utilities Committee. "...We're trying to be very smart as we wade through this with an end goal being getting service to the unserved areas in the most rapid fashion that we can."

Bounds and Rep. Richard Bennett, R-Long Beach, the chairman of the Education Committee, repeatedly told lawmakers and businesses that they need a plan in place by Sept. 1, because federal funds need to be spent by the end of the year. 

That could mean fixed wireless antennas, mobile hotspots or a some kind of private sector-government partnership, Bounds said, but he emphasized that he doesn't know what the solution is yet. He told business leaders and lobbyists at the hearing that lawmakers need their proposals to ramp up internet access by the end of the month.

Northern District Public Service Commissioner Brandon Presley said it's not easy to determine exactly who in the state has internet access. According to Presley, the federal government, companies, researchers and Mississippians using internet speed tests have at times provided conflicting information about what parts of the state have access to an adequate internet connection.

"We may be shooting at a missing target," he cautioned.

State superintendent has $350M plan

Wright outlined a three-year, $350 million plan to lawmakers Wednesday to get devices to students and start a rigorous, comprehensive distance learning program. That includes money for professional development, cyber security, and telehealth and teletherapy programs, but Wright said the cost is still preliminary.

"This is just a first swipe at this (cost estimate)," Wright said.

Mississippi school districts and the state education department are slated to get about $170 million from the federal government which is separate from the $1.25 billion the Legislature is overseeing, but Wright said the guidelines on how to spend that money are unclear so far.

While the coronavirus pandemic has been disruptive for students, parents and teachers, Wright was optimistic about what Mississippi could do with the federal money it received because of it.

She suggested that distance learning could help solve the state's teacher shortage.

“How can we take advantage of this opportunity to provide high-quality instruction in areas of the state that struggle to find high-quality teachers?” Wright asked lawmakers. "...This has huge implications for us as a state in order to be able to be able to put the best and brightest in front of every student in Mississippi."

Wright acknowledged that her plan would be "a major lift," but said the state's education system has an opportunity to radically change itself for the better.

"There has never been a better opportunity for this state to address the inequities that exist among our students," Wright said. "We’ve all the heard the saying that crisis brings opportunity, but a person‘s education is life determining… This is a life-changing opportunity for the children of Mississippi.”

Contact Giacomo "Jack" Bologna at 601-961-7282 or gbologna@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @gbolognaCL.