An effort during the 2026 legislative session to require that all Mississippi school board seats be elected failed to win final passage, Magnolia Tribune reported. Lawmakers did approve language in a separate bill that will convert the Poplarville School District’s appointed board to five elected seats, and supporters say they will renew a statewide push when legislators return in January, the news outlet reported.
The Mississippi School Boards Association told Magnolia Tribune that about 72 percent of school board members in the state are elected. The association said 471 of 659 board members are elected and 188 are appointed across 46 districts. Twenty-three districts now use a hybrid model with some members elected and others appointed, the association said.
Some hybrid boards reflect historical boundary changes, Magnolia Tribune reported. The Pascagoula-Gautier district, for example, now has three members appointed by the Pascagoula City Council and two elected from the Gautier area. The Picayune Separate School District has a similar arrangement with two members elected to represent students living outside the city and three members appointed by the city council, the report said.
The Mississippi Department of Education has placed six districts under state control — Noxubee County, Holmes County, Humphreys County, Yazoo City, Okolona Separate School District and Wilkinson County — and the agency appoints an interim superintendent and disbands local boards while it works to correct deficiencies, the department said in a statement to Magnolia Tribune. “The Mississippi Department of Education values the role of local school board members, whether they are elected or appointed. Effective school board leaders are essential to the success of Mississippi school districts,” the statement said.
Republican state Rep. Jansen Owen led the effort this year for all elected boards. His standalone bill, HB 1292, died on the calendar in February, Magnolia Tribune reported. Owen said he succeeded in inserting his proposal for Poplarville into an unrelated measure, HB 1142, which became law. The change requires Poplarville to be divided into five districts with elections in November; current members will serve until newly elected members are seated in January. Two seats will carry two-year terms and three will carry four-year terms to create staggered terms, Magnolia Tribune reported. Owen told the news outlet that constituents “vehemently, 99%, want this for their district” and said he expects a broader statewide change eventually.
Jon Ross Myers is the executive editor and publisher of the Mississippi News Network, Mississippi's largest digital only media company. He can be reached at editor@tippahnews.com
