Mississippi GOP feud echoes past clashes between Musgrove and McCoy

Recent tensions between House and Senate Republican leaders in the Mississippi Legislature have drawn comparisons to past Democratic infighting between Ronnie Musgrove and Billy McCoy, observers say.

Senate Education Chairman Dennis DeBar and House Education Chairman Rob Roberson have sparred after the Senate Education Committee voted to kill a House bill that would have sent public funds to private schools; Roberson responded by blocking all Senate education measures, legislative actions show. Some school-choice supporters, including House Speaker Jason White, expressed outrage over the committee vote, according to lawmakers and observers.

The dynamic recalls a 1995 session when then-House education chairman Billy McCoy killed a large Senate bill that included the initial steps toward the Mississippi Adequate Education Program and a $6,000 annual supplement for teachers with National Board certification. The bill’s funding formula was later credited by education experts with helping Mississippi avoid a costly school-equity lawsuit, according to education analysts and legislative history.

Ronnie Musgrove, then a senator and later lieutenant governor and governor, said he killed House education bills in retaliation to ensure the Senate retained influence. “I thought it was important he understood the Senate also should have a voice in the process,” Musgrove said in a recent interview.

Despite their clashes, Musgrove and McCoy later worked together to pass major education initiatives, including teacher pay raises, a 1-cent sales tax dedicated to education, air-conditioning of classrooms and inclusion of teachers in the state employee insurance program, legislative records show. McCoy died in 2019; Musgrove said the two respected one another and shared a deep commitment to public education despite often fighting and killing each other’s bills.

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