JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – Mississippi lawmakers are deciding whether to draft a school choice bill.

Members of the House gathered at the State Capitol on August 25, 2025. Those in the gallery listed to the House Select Committee on Education Freedom discuss the possibility of school choice. They’re debating whether to use education savings accounts or vouchers to allow parents to use public dollars to pay for private education.

Members heard from two educational experts with the Trump administration, who told members why they believe school choice works.

“I think Mississippi could really learn from the how other states have implemented it. You have an opportunity to expand. The research is showing that public schools actually get better as a result of having more school choice options,” said Dr. Laurie Todd-Smith, with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Early Childhood Development.

Some lawmakers want to give parents improved choices for their children’s education.

“We have lost the idea that parents don’t get to decide as opposed to the state, what is the best way to educate those kids,” said State Rep. Jansen Owen (R-District 106).

Opponents questioned why universal school choice is needed when the so-called “Mississippi Miracle” is already raising students’ test scores.

“We’ve got to focus on what’s going on with Mississippi and the kids in Mississippi. That’s why I asked a question. So, the ‘Mississippi Miracle’ was all public schools, not private schools? While we deviated from that in two years of the growth with this new funding formula, we’re seeing the benefits of it,” said State Rep. Jeffrey Hulum III (D-District 119).

Hulum suggested putting school choice on a ballot initiative to see if this is truly what parents want. Owens said lawmakers will continue to meet ahead of the 2026 Legislative Session.