JACKSON, Miss. (WTVA) – Mississippi’s new superintendent of education met with members of the media for the first time on Monday morning.
Robert Taylor is a Mississippi native and spent much of career as an educator in North Carolina. His wife is also a Mississippi native.
Taylor said his home state faces many challenges including lack of funding, teacher shortages and student retention following the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Whether a kid is college or career ready, it is our absolute dignity to make sure that when they walk across that [graduation] stage, after having attended our public schools, that they’re going to be viable candidates,” he said. “I know that when we make this kind of concerted effort as a state, that is what attracts businesses to your state. So we want people to understand that if you come to Mississippi, we make an investment in education.”
He’ll officially assume the role in January.