With the final legislative deadlines looming, our children are counting on us to keeping pushing until the very end to ensure that our public school supporters in the Legislature have the backing they need to defeat the voucher lobby. Just a few measures remain that need our attention.
SB 2618 is the school attendance officer bill to which public school choice language was added, allowing children to go to school in districts where they do not live and where their households do not pay taxes. This policy would harm the overwhelming majority of public school children and public schools in numerous ways. Because no transportation is provided, very few children would have a “choice,” and the remaining majority of children would be left in schools with further reduced resources. Additionally, the measure provides a perverse incentive for families to move out of communities that raised their ad valorem taxes to strengthen their public schools, yet continue to send their children to those schools. That weakens the local tax base, leaves fewer resident taxpayers supporting schools for more children, and threatens the viability of public schools – a stated goal of the voucher lobby.
The public school choice amendment should be subject to a point of order, forcing its removal from the bill under House rules. In order for language from one bill to be added to another, the bills must address the same section of Mississippi law. The section of Mississippi law that HB 1435 addresses is not in SB 2618. The deadline for a floor vote on this bill is tomorrow, Wednesday, March 12. Please ask representatives to remove the public school choice provision that was added to SB 2618.
The Children’s Promise Act bills (HB 1894, HB 1902, HB 1903) that send tax dollars to unaccountable private schools still are pending in the Senate Finance Committee. Two of these bills increase dramatically the flow of public money to private schools by way of dollar-for-dollar tax credits for donations, which cost the “donor” nothing, as his or her state tax liability is reduced by the amount given to the private school. The private schools get that public money with no obligation or accountability to the taxpayers footing the bill – no requirement that they enroll new students, no restrictions on expenditure of funds, no reporting requirements, no state audits to verify the number of qualifying children that the law says they are supposed to be serving. The deadline for a Senate floor vote on these bills is next Tuesday, March 18. Please ask senators to VOTE NO on any increase in Children’s Promise Act tax credits for private schools AND to require state audits of the private schools that currently benefit from these state tax dollars.
Here’s the message for representatives:
REMOVE public school choice (portability) from SB 2618.
Capitol: 601.359.3770
Speaker White: 601.359.3300
Here’s the message for senators:
OPPOSE any increase in Children’s Promise Act tax credits for private schools (HB 1894, HB 1902, HB 1903) AND require state audits of any private school receiving taxpayer-subsidized dollars
through the Children’s Promise Act, ESA vouchers, or other means.
Capitol: 601.359.3770
Lt. Gov. Hosemann: 601.359.3200
Capitol Switchboard: 601.359.3770
(Open Mon. noon-5:00, Tues.-Thurs. 8:00-5:00, Fri. 8:00-noon)
Find additional contact information for legislators.
You can see all the bills we are tracking and your legislators’ votes on the Bill Tracker page of our website.
Every Mississippi child deserves an excellent public school, and we know what is required to reach that goal. Our teachers and students have made remarkable academic progress, surpassing most other states in national test scores in grade 4 reading and math. While Mississippi’s national test scores improved by 10 points over the last decade, the scores of every state named by EdChoice as a “top 10 state for school choice” declined significantly. Instead of following declining states off the school choice cliff, our Legislature should invest in these measures that are proven to improve schools for ALL children:
- State funding for public school facilities in communities with a weak ad valorem tax base
- Dedicated literacy and math coaches (not shared with another school)
- Significant salary supplements for teaching in a low-performing school (minimum of $10,000 salary supplement)
- High-quality after-school programs (tutoring, homework support, etc.)
Please call your legislators today, and ask other public school supporters to call, as well. We’ve got just a few more weeks to go in the 2025 Legislative Session, and together, we’ve got this!
