A School that Fits Every Child
Mississippi Parents Deserve a Choice
Each child is unique. Parents understand children’s educational needs better than anyone, and have a right to seek a school that best meets those needs.
Mississippi’s education system has seen some improvement, but only some. Mississippi’s public education system is still failing to teach basic Math and English to many young people. One in four students is chronically absent from the classroom.
Now that every student in our state has a personalized education budget, weighted to meet their needs, we want them to have the right to spend their budget at a school of their choice. Learn more about how this would work.
Why School Choice?
School Choice means every family gets to decide where their share of the state education budget is spent.
Despite recent improvements, Mississippi continues to rank among the lowest in education quality nationwide, with standards in subjects like Math and English lagging behind national averages. School Choice gives parents the ability to select options that are proven to raise achievement.
Under Mississippi’s New School Funding Formula, every child now receives an individual budget. The amount that they have is weighted according to their needs. School Choice means allowing families to now allocate that individual budget to a school of their choice.
Rural Communities in Mississippi could particularly benefit from School Choice, as it would lead to more options than what has traditionally been available.
Mississippi is now surrounded by states that have School Choice. Arkansas, Alabama and even Louisiana allow families to control where their child’s share of the state education budget is spent. Why can’t we?
School Choice means the Values being taught in the classroom would have to align with the values of Mississippi families.
School Choice FAQs
How would School Choice work in Mississippi? Every child in our state already has a personalized education budget under the new school funding formula. With school choice, they would be free to allocate that money to a school of their choosing.
Would School Choice mean good schools are flooded with students? No. Under our school choice reforms, school districts decide capacity and have the power to say “No” to more students if they do not have space. There are safeguards against schools being made to take too many students.
Would schools have to take students with discipline problems? No. Under our School Choice reform proposals, schools can reject students who have been expelled or have disciplinary issues.
How do we know that choice programs work? There is substantial evidence that school choice programs have positive effects for students. A meta-analysis of 19 such programs around the world indicates that they improve student reading and math performance (Shakeel, Anderson, and Wolf, University of Arkansas Department of Education Reform, 2016).
Not only do these programs work for students, they’ve also been found to raise student achievement in the community/traditional public schools that students leave. The most recent comprehensive review of research conducted on the effects of school choice and competition within K-12 education found “positive effects on student achievement” according to 90 different studies (Education Policy journal, 2019).
Which states currently have School Choice now? Mississippi is surrounded on three sides by states that have school choice. Arkansas, Alabama & Louisiana all have school choice, and further away Arizona, Florida, Indiana, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Iowa and Utah do so, too. Mississippi students are being left behind.
Would school choice take money away from public schools? No. Under our school choice reforms, money that is already allocated to public schools would be spent at different public schools. Under a separate program, families that attend private schools, could get
a tax break reflecting the fact that they are already paying for a place at a public school that they are not taking.
If families decided to switch schools, who would pay for their transport? Families would have to arrange transportation themselves.
School Choice MYTHS
“School Choice will take money from public schools and give it to private schools.”
Under Mississippi’s school funding formula, all state money goes to the child and follows the child’s education.
“School choice will close public schools or cause teacher lay offs.”
States that pass school choice see better results from existing public schools, increasing demand for good teachers in them.
“School choice only works in cities where there are lots of options.”
In rural areas, public schools see better results in states with school choice.
“School choice isn’t needed in good school districts.”
Every Mississippi child needs a school for them, no matter where they live.
“School choice will cost the state even more money.”
In 2024, Mississippi has budgeted more money than EVER to fund public education. School choice will not cause an increase.
Join the Fight for Our Children’s Future
mail@mspolicy.org
(601) 969-1300
520 George Street | Jackson, MS 39202