The state Legislature kicked off its current session with a heavy focus on school choice, or expanding K-12 options beyond traditional public schools.
Those conversations, and related policies, address a broad swath of policies such as expanding charter school accessibility and using public funds to pay for private-school tuition. Both chambers want to expand school choice in Mississippi over the next three months, but they don’t agree on how.
Mississippi Today education reporter Devna Bose and political reporter Michael Goldberg have been at the state Capitol reporting on those and other education policy discussions since the session began.
On Jan. 16, Bose and Goldberg answered questions from readers on Reddit and Facebook. The following are some highlights from those conversations.
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Some questions have been edited for length and clarity.
Q: We were promised that charter schools would thrive where districts were performing poorly. How have charter schools scored over the last few years compared to the public schools near them?
Click for the answer.The latest state accountability scores show that six out of seven of Mississippi’s charter schools that were graded this past year are rated a D or F. But all of the state’s charter schools are located in the Jackson metro area or the Delta — areas with economically disadvantaged populations and adverse socioeconomic conditions. Charter school leaders say they struggle for the same reasons the local public school districts struggle.
Experts who met with the Mississippi Legislature last year said the most robust and successful charter sectors are well funded and less limited than they are in Mississippi. Current state law only allows new charter schools in areas where the local public school district is rated a D or F. Those experts encouraged lawmakers to loosen charter regulations, but the Senate appeared hesitant to do so when the state’s current charter schools are rated poorly. — Devna
Q: Why are lawmakers singling out Copiah County School District and Hazlehurst City School District, and FORCING a school board consolidation?
Click for the answer.I can’t say why these specific districts are targeted in House Bill 2. Hazlehurst is a C-rated district and Copiah is a B-rated district. House Education Chairman Rob Roberson told us that the consolidation proposal could be used as a model for future district consolidations. The House may want to test the waters with these districts before considering wider reaching consolidation measures in the future.
The potential for school closures as a result of district consolidation has been a fear cited by many parents in rural areas. HB 2 would not require school closures even if the districts that govern these schools are abolished. — Michael
Q: Will private schools be required to accept all students who want to attend? Will private schools have public financial reports so taxpayers can see where their money is going?
Click for the answer.No, even if they accept the public dollars, private schools will not be required to accept all students. Very little will change about the way private schools conduct business under this program.
But lawmakers have expressed concern about the House education savings account program’s price tag after reviewing what happened when similar programs in other states ballooned in participation and costs. That’s why, House leaders say, they’ve capped the program at 12,500 students in the first year, and there’s a slow rollout every year after that. — Devna
Q: How are private schools that receive funding originally allocated to public schools going to be held accountable? Why are they not held to the same methods (state tests and accountability model) that public schools use?
Click for the answer.Proponents of HB 2 have acknowledged that private schools would not be subject to the same accountability standards as public schools even though this bill would send taxpayer dollars to private schools. That was the central criticism of the bill during the House debate on Jan. 15. This element of the legislation raises questions about whether some private schools might end up maintaining poor standards on the public’s dime.
But the bill’s supporters argue parents offer sufficient accountability. They contend that if a private school performs poorly, families can withdraw their children and take their funding elsewhere, creating market pressure that will force private schools to maintain high standards. — Michael
Q: Is HB 2, the House’s school choice bill, constitutional?
Click for the answer.Parents for Public Schools previously sued the state over sending public dollars to private schools, but the Mississippi Supreme Court didn’t make a decision about the law’s constitutionality. Instead, the court ruled that the plaintiffs lacked standing to sue.
So, it’s possible that this could go to the Supreme Court again if someone sues. I’m not sure who would have the right to sue, but the defendants would almost certainly argue that these funds aren’t appropriated directly to private schools, they’re given to parents.
Rep. Jansen Owen told me: “We believe it will pass constitutional muster in both state and federal court.” — Devna
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