The debate over school choice at the Mississippi Capitol is raising fresh questions about students who cannot leave low-performing districts, a commentary in Mississippi Today said.
Proponents led by House Speaker Jason White have pushed proposals that would send public funds to private schools, arguing they would give options to students they describe as trapped in failing districts, Mississippi Today reported. White spoke at the Stennis Capitol Press Forum on Feb. 16, 2026, according to the report.
Angela Bass, executive director of Mississippi First, wrote in Mississippi Today Ideas that her organization opposes vouchers and sending public funds to private schools but supports expanding public charter schools. Bass recounted that her parents moved her to a higher-performing district for high school and said charters could help families who cannot move, the column said.
The commentary noted differences in admissions and access: public schools are required to educate all students, private schools can turn students away, and charter schools, while public, require parents to take steps to enroll children. The piece said those who can navigate charter enrollment are often more involved in their children’s education and that barriers such as transportation, work schedules, tuition and parents’ own educational limitations can keep others behind.
The column recalled a commission formed in the 2000s after Gov. Haley Barbour resisted full funding of the school formula. That commission concluded the formula underfunded low-income students, Mississippi Today reported, and the Legislature did not adopt all of its recommendations. The commentary said recent efforts, including work by White, have increased funding for low-income students but argued improving public schools for all students remains the only comprehensive solution.
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
