We cannot overstate how important the upcoming special election is to our children and our public schools.
Federal courts last year ordered a re-draw of some Mississippi House and Senate districts, the final result of which is a special election this year to fill 14 legislative seats. Seven of the newly redrawn districts will be contested in a special primary election on August 5; all will be on the ballot in a November 4 special general election. Keep reading to see why we must elect lawmakers who are truly committed to public education.
The legislative districts to be decided in this election are:
House District 16 – parts of Chickasaw, Lee, Monroe, and Pontotoc counties. Will be decided in August 5 primary election. See candidates’ responses to our education questionnaire.
House District 22 – parts of Chickasaw, Clay, and Monroe counties. No contested primary election; will be decided in the November 4 general election. See candidates’ responses to our education questionnaire.
House District 36 – parts of Clay, Lowndes, Monroe, and Oktibbeha counties. Uncontested.
House District 39 – parts of Lowndes and Monroe counties. Uncontested.
House District 41 – parts of Lowndes County. Will be decided in the August 5 primary election. See candidates’ responses to our education questionnaire.
Senate District 1 – parts of DeSoto and Tate counties. Contested primary election on August 5 and contested general election on November 4. See candidates’ responses to our education questionnaire.
Senate District 2 – parts of DeSoto and Tunica counties. Contested primary election on August 5 and contested general election on November 4. See candidates’ responses to our education questionnaire.
Senate District 11 – parts of Coahoma, DeSoto, Quitman, Tate, and Tunica counties. Contested primary election on August 5 and contested general election on November 4. See candidates’ responses to our education questionnaire.
Senate District 19 – parts of DeSoto County. No contested primary election; will be decided in the November 4 general election. See candidates’ responses to our education questionnaire.
Senate District 34 – parts of Covington, Jasper, and Jones counties. Uncontested.
Senate District 41 – parts of Covington, Lamar, Marion, and Walthall counties. Uncontested.
Senate District 42 – parts of Forrest, Greene, Jones, and Wayne counties. Will be decided in August 5 primary election. See candidates’ responses to our education questionnaire.
Senate District 44 – parts of Forrest, Lamar, and Perry counties. Contested primary election on August 5 and contested general election on November 4. See candidates’ responses to our education questionnaire.
Senate District 45 – parts of Forrest and Lamar counties. No contested primary election; will be decided in the November 4 general election. See candidates’ responses to our education questionnaire.
Attacks on public education are escalating across the country, making it more important than ever that we elect people at every level – federal, state, and local – who will stand in the gap for our children and our public schools. The voucher lobby is ratcheting up its spending, and Mississippi House Speaker Jason White has made no secret of his enthusiasm for sending our public dollars to private schools. Despite the remarkable success of our public schools – with other states now coming to Mississippi to learn how they, too, can educate their kids better – those aligned with the voucher lobby are willing to risk destroying the schools open to all children and, instead, let private schools pick and choose who gets to be educated. That’s what “school choice” means – private schools get to choose.
Meanwhile, massive layoffs at the U.S. Department of Education will almost certainly create dysfunction and place in jeopardy our children with special needs and others who historically have relied on federal oversight for protection. And President Trump has announced that he is withholding $6.8-billion in federal education funds appropriated by Congress earlier this year, $65-million of which was slated for Mississippi schools. In a rare bright spot, the administration announced that it would not claw back the remaining ESSER funds, which would have meant the loss of an additional $137-million for our state’s public schools. With our public schools constantly under threat, this is no time to sit back and watch.
If your House or Senate district is on the ballot in this special election, please check out what the candidates have to say about public education in our Candidate Q&A website. If candidates in your district have not completed the survey, send them this link to the downloadable survey and encourage them to participate. Share the link to our Q&A on your own social media, and use our Election Toolkit to support your candidate of choice.
And, by all means, mark your calendar for the August 5 primary and November 4 general elections. We can’t afford to miss this opportunity to elect education supporters to our State Legislature! Our kids are counting on us, and together, we’ve got this!
