Archive for January 2018

Today, the Senate Education Committee advanced legislation that will provide parents with more options for the education of their children. Senate Bill 2623, authored by Senate Education Committee Chairman Gray Tollison (R-Oxford), will expand the current Education Scholarship Account (ESA) program to most students in Mississippi. The proposed legislation will give priority to students with…

For parents who are unhappy with their child’s current school system, Rep. Jay Hughes (D-Oxford) has the help you have been looking for: Move. See, it is your fault for living in a bad district or a district that doesn’t meet the needs of your child. On Tuesday, Rep. Hughes was interviewed after the Mississippi School Choice…

For the second year in a row, President Donald Trump has issued a proclamation in honor of National School Choice Week. The text of the proclamation is below: President Donald J. Trump Proclaims January 21 through January 27, 2018, as National School Choice Week All American children deserve the opportunity to achieve their dreams through…

Our education system in Mississippi represents a case of “good news, bad news.” On the positive side, our state has made real progress in improving state test scores. Unfortunately, however, we still have much work to do to catch up to the national averages—let alone the achievement levels of our better-performing competitors overseas. As we…

New legislation was introduced this week in the Senate and House that will expand education options for Mississippi families. Senate Bill 2623, authored by Sen. Gray Tollison (R-Oxford), and House Bill 1339, authored by Rep. Charles Busby (R-Pascagoula), will make the Education Scholarship Account (ESA) program available to most students in Mississippi, while continuing to prioritize students with special needs. The Senate version of the bill also…

Gov. Phil Bryant has officially proclaimed January 21-27, 2018 as “School Choice Week” in the state of Mississippi. He joins 20 other governors and more than 300 mayors and county leaders nationwide in issuing proclamations. More than 32,000 events have been independently organized across the country for National School Choice Week, including more than 250…

A new national poll shows school choice continues to be popular with voters nationwide. According to the poll, which was commissioned by American Federation for Children and conducted by Beck Research, 63 percent of voters support the concept of school choice. Specifically, education scholarship accounts, scholarships for students with special needs, and school choice for…

A new formula that would update the way Mississippi funds education has been introduced by Speaker Philip Gunn (R-Clinton). Key Takeaways: The base student cost is set at $4,800 with additional weights based on specific learning needs. Funding for districts is based on “Average Daily Membership” rather than “Average Daily Attendance.” The “27 percent rule,”…

In December, lawmakers in Washington D.C. took action on school choice and expanded the 529 college savings plans to primary and secondary school tuition for public and private schools. This means families now have more opportunities to save and pay for education options that are the right fit for their children. The expansion was included…

The Mississippi legislature returned to Jackson last week to begin the 2018 legislative session. The 90-day session is based on a series of deadlines, with the first deadline- the deadline for making requests for general bills and constitutional amendments to be drafted- hitting this Wednesday. All bills will then need to be introduced by next…

A new poll released today shows that Mississippians throughout the state continue to support school choice opportunities and want to see these options available to all students. According to the poll, 77 percent of voters support giving parents the right to use the tax dollars associated with their child’s education to send their child to…