Mandatory administrative market adjustments by UMMC to Program Administrator salary. The UMMC Human Resources department has, in an effort to make UMMC "the employer of choice" in the central Mississippi area, has mandated salary increases to all employees in specific categories, including that of Program Administrator. As a result, the monthly salary for the Base Pair Program Administrator has been raised substantially. To maintain the HHMI-mandated cap on Program Administration costs, the % effort for the individual allocated to this project has been reduced. No additional personnel have been found to fill this gap and the quality of record-keeping and program data has been reduced.
Administrative turnover in the Jackson Public School District has been associated with a generalized decrease in attention to science education enhancement efforts and a specific decline in collaboration with the SOAR program component. As a direct result of this and associated attrition of teachers trained by the Base Pair program, the number of active SOAR high school sites has declined. A new Superintendent took office in July, 2012 and efforts are underway to establish a working relationship with this individual and his administrative staff.
