Editor’s Note: This is the second in a two-part series analyzing school choice bills dropped in the 2026 Legislative Session – from student portability to a proposed voucher system – and how they could impact schools in the Golden Triangle.
A school choice bill heading to the House floor would allow families to use public education dollars to send their children to private school, a proposal both private and public school leaders in the Golden Triangle largely oppose.
Among other education-based initiatives, House Bill 2 would create state-funded Magnolia Savings Accounts that families could use for a range of educational costs outside of public schools, including to cover private school tuition.
The goal is to give parents more control of their child’s education, said District 43 Rep. Rob Roberson, R-Starkville, who also chairs the House Education Committee, which passed a committee substitute for the bill Wednesday morning.
“Bottom line is, parents are the ones that are supposed to care, and we should be giving them as much ability to make decisions for their children as we possibly can within some reason,” Roberson told The Dispatch on Tuesday.
But with the potential for more parental control comes questions from area school leaders about low accountability for state funds, inequitable access for students and risks to private schools’ independence.
“(Public schools) have an accountability model,” said Sam Allison, superintendent for Lowndes County School District. “It’s not perfect, but it holds us accountable. So if you’re going to make that investment somewhere else, why isn’t the accountability going to follow?”
“Our opinion right now is we won’t accept anything that threatens our independence, and so that’s really what we’re monitoring – what is going to come with this,” said Sean Harrison, head of school for Heritage Academy in Columbus.
Under the bill, state funding would follow students who leave public schools for private or other education options, resulting in less state funding for public districts and a potential decrease in student enrollment.
Roberson said he doesn’t expect well-performing districts to be significantly affected.
“But for schools that are not doing what they should do and schools that are not very well run, they’re going to lose population, and frankly, I’m kind of OK with that,” he said. “It’s a natural progression to better schools growing, bad schools closing and good leaders finding good spots to grow their school.”
What’s in the bill?
If HB 2 passes, MSAs would be awarded to 12,500 students for the 2028-2029 school year, with that gradually increasing to 20,000 students by 2030-2031 school year, the bill said.
The balance for each account, Roberson said, would be tied to the base student funding amount allocated by Mississippi Department of Education, currently around $7,000. At that rate, funding the accounts would require about $87.5 million in the first year.
Half of the available accounts would be reserved for students who attended public school the year prior to applying, while the rest would be available to any eligible student regardless of whether they previously attended a public, private or homeschool program.
The bill gives low-income students priority, awarding accounts first to students from households earning no more than 100% of the area median income, allowed by those earning no more than 200% and then no more than 300%.
If funding remains after those categories are exhausted, remaining accounts would be awarded by lottery, with priority given to siblings of participating students.
Once approved for an account, students would remain eligible in future years without having to reapply or reverify household income. However, they would be required annually to a nationally-recognized achievement or aptitude assessment – selected either by their parents or the school – with the results to be published on a statewide basis.
Equity, accountability, independence issues
Roberson said, if the bill passes, he doesn’t expect to see many students transfer out of public Starkville schools to attend private schools, noting he’s discussed the proposal with Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District leaders.
“The bulk of the conversations I’ve had, they’ve been positive,” Roberson said of those discussions. “… There are concerns. I’m not going to suggest it’s 100%, ‘Oh yeah, we’re all in,’ but they do understand the issues that we’re trying to address. They know a school district like (the one in) our community is not the target.”
While Superintendent Tony McGee declined to comment, Cassandra Palmer, president for the SOCSD Board of Trustees, said the district has concerns about public funding being used in private schools.
“A school doesn’t have to take a student just because they have (a MSA),” she said. “In public schools, we have to take all of the students, and we want to. We are invested in educating every student, and that’s what those tax dollars are meant to be for.”
Palmer also questioned whether the program would meaningfully expand opportunities for low-income students.
“If the voucher doesn’t pay all of the tuition, that’s going to mean that it continues to be for people that have higher means, their own funds (to cover the difference),” she said. “… So I think a lot of people hear that it’s going to help students that don’t have an opportunity, but they’re still at disadvantages.”
Both Harrison and Jeremy Nicholas, head of school for Starkville Academy, said the primary issue with private schools participating in the program would be a potential loss of school autonomy, like if Starkville Academy were asked to adjust admission standards, Nicholas suggested.
“Accepting students who are not prepared to succeed at our school, based upon our admissions standards that have proven validity over time, would only serve as a detriment to those students, and it would prove to be a wasteful use of taxpayer funds,” Nicholas wrote in an email to The Dispatch.
Adjusting for a potential influx of students from public schools could present another risk, Harrison said.
“With this being a government bill, you’re hesitant to jump in and build classrooms, hire 30 more teachers knowing that there’s a chance in six years … this whole thing can be repealed,” Harrison said.
Allison and Palmer both stressed a need for accountability if public funds are used for private education.
Public school students must take certain benchmark exams each year. Some, like state subject testing in high school and the third-grade reading exam, determine whether the student advances to the next grade level. Districts, however, are held accountable for those test scores in each grade, as well as other metrics. Private schools aren’t held to state accountability standards.
“I personally think that any type of choice is going to weaken public education across the state,” Allison said. “Some may have more of an impact on us (or) less of an impact, but I don’t think there’s any of it that is going to enable us to keep the momentum that we’ve had or the gains we’ve made over the last couple of years.”
While Roberson admitted the proposal isn’t a perfect fix, he said it is a step in the right direction in giving students living in low-performing school districts a chance at a better education and a better option than continuing to fund schools that are historically underperforming.
“The truth of the matter is that we’ve done this the same way for the last 50 or 60 years, and we’re not seeing the kind of change that needs to happen,” he said. “… Really and truly, I’m not trying to harm public schools. I’m trying to get us corrected, so that we do as well as we possibly can.”
Palmer said she hopes lawmakers will take the perspective of “those that are involved in education every day” into account as the bill moves forward.
“We would ask that our legislators really listen to what teachers, school boards (and) superintendents in public schools are asking for because we’re having success right now, and there are a lot of concerns all throughout the state that this is going to lead to a decline,” Palmer said.
McRae is a general assignment and education reporter for The Dispatch.
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