The House Education Committee on Wednesday advanced its chamber’s omnibus public education overhaul on Wednesday morning — but only by a few votes.
It signals the battle to expand school choice in Mississippi, including spending millions of tax dollars on private schooling – Republican House Speaker Jason White’s pet issue this session – is far from over. Senate leaders have said the House bill is a nonstarter, and White has had to wrangle with reluctance or opposition from some of his own Republican caucus in the House.
But the school-choice movement has gained momentum in Mississippi, thanks in part to efforts from national think tanks and mounting pressure from the Trump administration. School choice refers to a number of policies that fund education outside of the public school system with public dollars in the name of giving parents more power over children’s education.
READ MORE: FAQ: What is school choice? What are Mississippi lawmakers considering?
The House’s expansive bill, which came after months of hearings and names White as a principal author, was unveiled Jan. 7. House Bill 2 makes changes across the state’s education system, including adding financial literacy requirements for students, permitting homeschooled students to play public school sports and encouraging prayer in school.
Most notably, the legislation establishes an education savings account program in Mississippi that would allow students to pay private school tuition with public dollars. It’s the most expansive form of school choice. The bill also makes it easier for students to transfer out of their assigned public school districts, which is called “portability.” It also loosens regulations on where charter schools can expand.
The Republican-led Senate has taken a very limited approach to school choice legislation. The chamber recently passed its own portability bill, and Senate leaders say they won’t consider establishing a voucher program in Mississippi.
House Education Committee members discussed House Bill II before a packed room at the State Capitol, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Jackson. Credit: Vickie D. King/Mississippi TodayDespite intense efforts from White, the House bill doesn’t appear to have overwhelming support. In a small room with posters of A-rated public school districts on the wall, dozens of onlookers watched Wednesday as the panel debated the 553-page bill for over an hour, demonstrating clear discord in the chamber.
In particular, Republican House Education Committee Chairman Rob Roberson and Mississippi Democratic Party Chairman Cheikh Taylor, both heavy hitters in their respective parties and both from Starkville, lobbed questions back and forth, representing the ideological divide over school choice.
“If we divert these funds from public education, we’re also diverting funds from the entire philosophy that gives advancements to most families,” Taylor said. “That’s problematic because I don’t see any remedy to replace the funds going to public schools. So I have a ton of heartburn.”
Roberson argued that the money should be going toward educating children, no matter where they attend school, and that parents have students’ best interests in mind, not the government.
“This bill is not the end all to fix all for schools, never has been,” he said. “It is a piece of a puzzle that we need to continue working on. Public schools, or schools in general in this state, have to continue being looked at, and we need to keep promoting and putting money into these systems.”
But Roberson has previously brushed the argument aside that public schools continue to struggle because of historic underfunding.
The state’s public-school system has been nationally lauded for its reading improvements in recent years. House Democrats questioned why Republicans would want to make changes to the education system now, after the public school system has found surer footing.
“Anytime you raise the standard, the water that comes into any system … makes all ships rise,” Roberson said.
Jansen Owen, R-Poplarville, center, answers a question posed by Jeffery Harness, D-Fayette, left, during a meeting of the House Education Committee to discuss House Bill II, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026 at the State Capitol in Jackson. Credit: Vickie D. King/Mississippi TodayRep. Jansen Owen, a Republican from Poplarville who c0authored the bill, teamed up with Roberson to defend it in committee and echoed the free-market idea that proponents often use to promote school choice. They argue that more schooling options means public schools will have to improve in order to keep students.
In some places, research shows that addition of charter schools has slightly raised the performance of public schools.
READ MORE: Lawmakers want to expand ‘school choice’ in Mississippi. Here’s what it looks like in neighboring states
The panel of lawmakers also voted to modify two portions of the original bill during the committee meeting.
The original bill allowed charter school establishment in any district without regard for the local public school district’s rating. But after amendments on Wednesday, the new bill limits new charter schools to areas with D- or F-rated schools. Current law only allows new charter schools in areas with D- or F-rated districts, so the amended bill would still greatly expand areas charter schools could open statewide.
Tweaks to the state’s student funding formula were also removed during the committee meeting. Roberson said those changes will be presented in a new bill.
Harness offered an amendment to strike all of the language in the bill and replace it with a teacher pay raise, but after assurance from Roberson that the House will consider a teacher raise in another bill, he withdrew his amendment. The omnibus bill omits a teacher pay raise, though it includes one for assistant teachers. Roberson said this was an intentional decision to avoid political bargaining over teachers’ livelihoods.
The Senate approved a teacher pay raise last week.
After Republican Rep. Kevin Felsher of Biloxi encouraged the committee to advance the measure so the full body of the House could debate it, representatives revealed their votes one-by-one, thanks to a roll call vote request from Rep. Percy Watson, a Democrat from Hattiesburg.
The bill passed the committee 14-11. Two lawmakers were absent, and two Republicans — House Education Committee Vice-Chairman Kent McCarty from Hattiesburg and Rep. Dana McLean from Columbus — voted against the measure.
It can now be brought up on the House floor, and will likely be debated by the full chamber by the end of the week. The vote, despite White’s best efforts, could be tight.
Felsher acknowledged during the meeting that the bill was imperfect and said that while he voted for the measure in committee, he is not certain how he will vote when it comes before the full House.
“I was committed to moving the bill out of the Education Committee to the floor for further discussion,” he said. “I am still deliberating.”
Owen said he expects there will be lots of attempts to amend the bill when it comes before the full House. But he said the House leadership is not open to further amendments at this point.
“All of the amendments we intended to make, we made in the committee substitute,” Owen said. “Everything is where it needs to be at this point.”
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