Commissioner of Education for Mississippi Delta School Districts; create position for.

H. B. No. 1595 *HR26/R1987* ~ OFFICIAL ~ G1/2
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To: Education;
Appropriations A
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026

By: Representative Hines (By Request)

HOUSE BILL NO. 1595

AN ACT TO CREATE THE COMMISSIONER OF EDUCATION FOR THE 1
MISSISSIPPI DELTA ACT; TO PROVIDE CERTAIN DEFINITIONS; TO PROVIDE 2
THE POWERS AND DUTIES OF THE COMMISSIONER; AND FOR RELATED 3
PURPOSES. 4
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: 5
SECTION 1. There is created the Commissioner of Education 6
for the Mississippi Delta School Districts Act. 7
SECTION 2. As used in this act, the following terms shall 8
have the following meanings unless the context clearly indicates 9
otherwise: 10
(a) "College and career readiness" means the skills, 11
knowledge, and dispositions needed to succeed in post secondary 12
education or training that leads to gainful employment, 13
encompassing both academic preparation and the ability to thrive 14
in a workplace. Students are prepared to enter and succeed in 15
entry level postsecondary courses or training programs without 16
remediation. 17
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(b) "Commissioner" means the Commissioner of Education 18
for the Mississippi Delta School Districts, who shall be a retired 19
educator from the Mississippi Delta. 20
(c) "Literacy in reading and comprehension" means going 21
beyond decoding words to actively understanding, interpreting, 22
evaluating and understanding written text to achieve goals, build 23
knowledge, and participate in society, involving skills like 24
making inferences, questioning, visualizing, and connecting ideas. 25
Comprehension is the core of this, focusing on constructing 26
meaning from text through literal recall, critical thinking, and 27
applying background knowledge. 28
SECTION 3. (1) There is created the position of 29
Commissioner of Education for the Mississippi Delta School 30
Districts who shall have complete autonomy To establish the 31
necessary guidelines for the Delta school districts, which shall 32
include guidelines established by the Mississippi Department of 33
Education. 34
(2) (a) The annual salary for the commissioner shall be 35
$160,000.00. 36
(b) The annual salary for a part time assistant for 37
such commissioner shall be $30,000.00. 38
(3) Duties of the commissioner shall be as follows: 39
(a) To close the achievement gap and increase the 40
number of students in Mississippi school districts who are 41
proficient in math, English Language Arts, science, college and 42
H. B. No. 1595 *HR26/R1987* ~ OFFICIAL ~
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ST: Commissioner of Education for Mississippi
Delta School Districts; create position for.
career readiness in order to begin the development of a skilled 43
workforce in the Mississippi delta. 44
(b) Provide a minimum of three (3) visits to each 45
school district that includes one announced visit with a one week 46
advance notice. 47
(c) To work closely with the school district's 48
superintendents and building principals to maximize the talents 49
and ability of all faculty and staff in an effort to improve 50
literacy in reading and comprehension. 51
(d) To work closely with the support staff, teacher, 52
parents and community stakeholders to create an open line of 53
communication and collaboration to foster a community of student 54
literacy in reading and comprehension to increase the percentage 55
of students who are college and career ready and who will become 56
productive citizens. 57
(e) To work closely with local school boards to 58
adopt policies that reflect their commitment to student literacy 59
in reading and comprehension. 60
SECTION 4. This act shall take effect and be in force from 61
and after July 1, 2026. 62