HB 1433: Expand educational options for Mississippi students

House Bill 1433, sponsored by Rep. Rob Roberson, would provide new education options for students in failing schools in Mississippi.

Under the proposed legislation, known as the Quality Desert Education Enrollment and Transfer Scholarship Act (QDESA), a student who has been enrolled in a school or district rated D or F within the past five years would be allowed to use the state portion of the funding that would be provided for that student at the child’s assigned school and spend it at another public school or a private school. The student could:

• Transfer to a public school other than the one the student is assigned to by the district. This could be inside or outside their home district, subject to the school having capacity to accommodate the transferring students, or
• Receive reimbursement to attend an accredited private school, up to the amount of the state’s share of public school per-pupil funding 

The program will begin with an initial fund of $5 million. After that, the legislature must appropriate funds for the program based upon the State Department of Education’s estimation of students attending private school who are receiving QDESA funds and the projected number of eligible students who opt to attend a private school.

As more states enact school choice programs, there is a significant body of research showing that private school choice programs improve educational outcomes. For example:   

• Researchers from the University of Arkansas conducted a meta-analysis (meaning an analysis of the studies that have been conducted on the subject) of the test score effects of private school choice programs globally. They found that students in the United States who participated in these programs experienced positive gains on test scores that equate roughly to 30 more days of learning in reading and math.
• An analysis of private school choice programs conducted by EdChoice noted that 7 studies found positive effects on educational attainment while no studies found negative effects.

This program would offer students additional pathways to success that may not be otherwise available to them under the current system and empower parents to customize their children’s education by choosing the best educational opportunity based on the unique needs of each of their children.   

Empower Mississippi supports this legislation

House Bill 1433 died in the House of Representatives on February 13.