Mississippi State Senator Angela Burks Hill (Rep-D40) was the guest speaker for the Exchange Club of Picayune on Wednesday.

She discussed the recent passage of teacher pay raises, funding of a State Trooper school and incentives to get corporations to relocate to the state.

Hill told the club that the increase in teacher salaries would amount to $2,500 over a two-year period.

She said the education system has changed since she taught school. She said today teachers are so burdened with meeting testing curriculum requirements that they must be careful to not lose sight of the children’s educational needs.

Hill said local administrators should handle teachers who are not performing. Teachers should not be penalized across the board for those not meeting the standards.

Hill said she expects things to change because of a backlash from parents who are unhappy with current focus on testing instead of if students are learning.

“A school employee gave me the information that between MAEP, district and 9 week testing, among others, students are testing 80 out of 182 days,” Hill said. “One of the biggest complaints I get is from parents and is about all of those tests.”

Hill told the group that a Trooper School for Mississippi Highway Patrol has been funded.

“This school was needed and I experienced first hand the lack of support when I had a wreck on Interstate 49,” she said. “It took me two hours to get assistance, because the trooper assigned to my area was two counties over.”

Hill said that incentives to persuade corporations to relocate their headquarters to the state were passed. She said that Mississippi has a skilled population and the state needs to let the rest of the world know.

She used comments from the CEO of Ingalls Ship Yard as an example, who said the people building the most sophisticated ships in United States are Mississippi high school graduates.

“We do have the talent pool to do what the rest of the states are doing,” Hill said. “I am passionate about letting people know that we have this great pool of talent.”

Hill represents Pearl River, Marion and Walthall counties and is the vice chair of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks committee. She is also a member of Agriculture, Appropriations, Corrections, Education, Environment Protection, Conservation, and Water Res, Insurance, and Judiciary Division B Committees.