Blueprint Mississippi Release

These results are a combination of the work of MomentumMississippi and other organizations working independently to improve the State’s future.

VISION: A prosperous, vibrant and resilient Mississippi, built upon a foundation of economic opportunity for all its citizens.

Goal: Establish and sustain an economic development vision and strategic plan for Mississippi.

Recommendation: Activate and strengthen the Statewide Economic Development Planning Act of 1987.

Accomplished through establishment of Momentum Mississippi initiative by Governor Barbour as part of the rejuvenation of the 1987 Statewide Economic Development and Planning Act passed by the legislature.

Strengthened by the legislature with the institution of a process for formal regular review and oversight of MDA activities and incentive programs.

Goal: Strengthen Mississippi’s business image.

Recommendation: Initiate an image study to identify internal and external perceptions of Mississippi.

Study undertaken by Momentum MississippiBusiness Climate & Image committee through a private consultant and funded entirely by a private sector grant by the MississippiPartnership for Economic Development – and presented to Momentum Mississippi and to theMDA as baseline data.

Recommendation: Develop and implement a coordinated, sustained internal and external marketing plan; monitor progress on a recurring basis.

MDA incorporating Business Climate & Image study results into its planning process.

Momentum Mississippi Business Climate & Image Committee working on private-sector approaches that can enhance the efforts of MDAand other economic development organizations.

Recommendation: Promote urban revitalization programs to improve the quality of life in cities.

Resurgence and expansion of Main Streetprograms by MDA and local communities acrossMississippi are moving this concept forward.

Goal: Enhance competitiveness of legal environment.

Recommendation: Promote recent enhancements toMississippi’s legal and liability system.

U.S. Chamber promoted achievements in national advertising.

Governor and legislative leaders have received coverage in national media – and have authored guest columns.

Many in-state organizations have communicated to their memberships to make them aware of advancements.

Recommendation: Maintain ongoing efforts to ensure recently enacted legislative reforms are properly implemented and maintained.

The Governor and legislature have consistently demonstrated their commitments to staying the course.

Goal: Better prepare children for school.

Recommendation: Expand and improve pre-kindergarten programs in all areas of the state.

A dialogue has begun with MomentumMississippi Education committee leaders and early childhood education leaders, but this is in its beginning stages.

There are various recommendations for improving early childhood education ranging from launching a pilot program through the Department of Education to programs to expanding and enhancing the work of Head Start.

A private-sector initiative – ‘Excel by Five’ – is in place in several communities, as a pilot, funded by Chevron-Texaco and the Phil Hardin Foundation – and spearheaded by Mississippi State University’s Early Childhood Institute under the direction of Dr. Cathy Grace.

Retired Washington Post columnist William Raspberry is focusing an effort in Okolona with his “Baby Steps” program.

The Department of Human Services is implementing a quality rating system to encourage private childcare providers to provide educational content in their programs, as part of Governor Barbour’s UpGRADE education program.

The Barksdale Reading Institute continues to advocate an early childhood agenda and has helped fund and initiate efforts through the Early Childhood Institute at Mississippi StateUniversity.

Goal: Maximize the number of people graduating from high school.

Recommendation: Underscore the linkage between education and employment, targeting middle school students.

MEC and the Public Education Forum have instituted the National State Scholars Program in just over 30 different school districts to encourage students to take a more rigorous course of study, by selecting this course in middle school.  National research shows a more rigorous course of study also encourages students to stay in school.

Superintendent of Education Dr. Hank Bounds is proposing a significant school redesign program, aimed at better linking education and employment…with career pathways…to encourage students to stay in school. The program – “Redesigning Education for the 21^stCentury Workforce in Mississippi” – was outlined statewide in the fall of 2006 during MEC’s 25-city Trailblazer Tour. In the 2007 Legislative session, a $5 million pilot program for the redesign was approved and funded.

The legislature and Governor Barbour worked together to create an Assistant Superintendent of Education position to focus on drop-out prevention and raise the level of focus on this important issue.

Thanks to the work of the State Department of Education, we now have better data on the actual drop-out rate in Mississippi – 35% -- and a much better handle on the nature of the problem than most states.

Goal: Diversify and improve Mississippi’s economic base.

Recommendation: Identify and pursue high value, high growth industry targets in both manufacturing and services; align incentives around these targets.

Momentum Mississippi legislation improved and broadened incentive packages.

MDA has focused on 15 target areas, working with the Momentum Mississippi Economic Growth & Diversification committee to identify those industries which hold the greatest opportunities for our state.

Targets are: Aerospace/Aviation; Automotive Assembly; Automotive Suppliers; Communications/Information Technology; Contact Centers; Data Centers; Defense/Homeland Security; Fabricated Housing and Housing Components; Food Processing; Metal Fabrication & Steel; Plastics/Polymers/Chemicals; Shared Services Centers; Shipbuilding; Timber/Wood Products; Warehouse & Distribution.

This tighter targeting of industries will better focus economic development efforts both statewide and through local economic development professionals.  MDA has provided local economic development professionals with the tools to focus on the targets that are most-suited for their regions.

Recommendation: Increase public and private research and development funding and improve the effectiveness of technology transfer and capital accessibility programs to help commercialize innovations.

Momentum Mississippi program significantly improved incentives for encouraging technology transfer.

Momentum Mississippi Technology Development & Transfer committee is working aggressively in this area, spearheading the creation of a private-sector Angel Fund to boost high-tech development in Mississippi.

So far, the Angel Fund has raised over $5 million with a goal of $10 million by the close of 2006 – and two projects have been funded, already.

Mississippi’s research universities are ramping up efforts to attract for R&D dollars.

Momentum Mississippi Technology Development & Transfer committee currently exploring programs that will further encourage R&D through research universities as well as a program for growing the defense industry in Mississippi.

In the 2007 Legislative session, $4 million of bonds were earmarked for state colleges and universities to be used for R&D with commercial applications.

GOAL: Train, mentor and retain better teachers.

Recommendation: Increase supply of teachers in high demand subject areas and establish a system to retain the best teachers.

Both the legislature and Governor have placed significant focus on the issue of teacher retention, such as exploring alternate certification and incentive programs.  Efforts continue to pursue opportunities for broadening the scope and reach of these programs with support from both public and private sector organizations.

Momentum Mississippi Education committee is currently working with MEC and the Public Education Forum of Mississippi on a comparative study with other states on reviewing methods of enhancing capabilities for long-time teachers to continue to remain in the system.

Goal: Increase support for existing firms.

Recommendation: Improve the productivity and profitability of existing businesses through programs that support innovation, technology and process improvement.

Momentum Mississippi legislation enacted for the first time incentives to existing industry – and provided special incentives for those industries needing to upgrade process improvement when facing significant foreign competition.

Momentum Existing Business Support committee has aggressive program underway, working in cooperation with the Mississippi Development Authority, Mississippi Technology Alliance, the Institutions of Higher Learning and Mississippi Manufacturers Association interviewing and targeting existing industries to make certain that needs are being addressed and to identify issues needed to continue to serve needs of our existing industry base.

This five-step plan is approximately 75% complete…and initial findings of this “Synchronist Project” are: workforce quality, technology improvements, high health care costs, energy costs and taxes.

Goal: Increase participation in adult lifelong learning, worker training and professional development activities.

Recommendation: Reorganize and consolidate lifelong learning programs around relevant and projected workforce needs, increase number and use of computers inMississippi homes, businesses, schools and libraries.

Significant progress has been made in workforce development with the streamlining of the system down to a single Workforce Investment Board and the focusing of worker training through the Mississippi Department of Employment Security’s WIN Job Centerprogram and the Community and Junior College System.

The Momentum Mississippi Workforce Training and Development Committee has played a pivotal role in the ongoing development of an accountability and tracking system that will measure Mississippi’s success.  The accountability model is currently being tested at Itawamba, Gulf Coast and NortheastCommunity Colleges and several WIN JobCenters.

The foundation for a more-consolidated program came by an act of the legislature in passing the Mississippi Comprehensive Workforce Training and Education Consolidation Act, incorporating recommendations by Governor Barbour, and creating this more streamlined system.

The Momentum Workforce Training & Development committee is also working in collaboration with the State Superintendent of Education, the Community & Junior College System and the Institutions of Higher Learning to develop initiatives to address high school drop out rates and the high recidivism rate within the penal system.

Goal: Strengthen physical infrastructure.

Recommendation: Expand and/or improve Mississippi’s highway, rail, air and seaport capabilities in support of the state’s economic development objectives.

The Mississippi Inter-modal Council, formed in 2003, is playing a key role in coordinating discussions among various transportation providers, to better coordinate future needs in Mississippi.

New Initiative Added Since Blueprint – Tourism & Recreation

Recommendation: Create or expand incentives to help attract tourism opportunities and expand film-making inMississippi.

Legislation to provide incentives for private tourism projects and improve the state’s film incentives was approved during the 2007 session. MEC worked with the MomentumMississippi Tourism Committee to research and develop the tourism and film incentives. With input from the Mississippi Tourism Association, tourism and film officials from the MississippiDevelopment Authority and other business leaders, the tourism and film incentives are designed to encourage new investment in Mississippi.