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Opinion

Sanders: Why Mississippi’s workforce future depends on school choice

3

Tue, 02/10/2026 - 08:32 AM

Below is an opinion column by Nathan Sanders:

Employers considering long-term investments care deeply about whether a state can produce capable workers year after year. Education policies that improve attainment help answer that question.

Pictured is an adult male purple martin. (Photo courtesy of Purple Martin Conservation Association)

Promise of spring — the return of the purple martins

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Fri, 02/06/2026 - 11:30 AM

In a sure sign that spring is not far behind, the first purple martins of the year have been spotted in Mississippi.
The birds were seen on Jan. 31 in Gautier, Mississippi, by a purple martin enthusiast – one of many throughout the eastern and central United States who track and report on the birds’ annual migration on behalf of the Purple Martin Conservation Association (PMCA). The migration of these unique birds can be reported and tracked through a community science project called the Scout-Arrival Study.

Opinion

Donahoe: A historic opportunity for Mississippi families

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Thu, 02/05/2026 - 01:48 PM

Below is an opinion column by Barrett Donahoe:

This is not about politics. It is about students. It is about families, and ensuring that every child—regardless of zip code or income—has access to an education that nurtures both the mind and the heart.

Opinion

Harrison: When sending public funds to private schools, Mississippi history can rhyme

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Thu, 02/05/2026 - 01:38 PM

Below is an opinion column by Bobby Harrison:

The effort of Mississippi House leaders and others to expand programs providing public funds to private schools validates the oft-repeated quote that “history may not repeat itself, but it often rhymes.”

Efforts by Mississippi legislators to send public funds to private schools go back to at least the 1960s.

Audience members express emotion as public comments are given during the DeSoto County School Board meeting in Hernando, Miss. on Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025. Credit: Eric Shelton/Mississippi Today

DeSoto County school board members want the power to remove a peer. Some legislators are listening

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Thu, 02/05/2026 - 01:28 PM

In DeSoto County, some community members and the school board want Michele Henley, the board’s former president, to resign. They say she wrote a letter and testified in support of a woman who was eventually convicted of sexual battery against a minor. Henley has denied those accusations.

The House of Representatives debate House Bill 2 on Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, at the State Capitol in Jackson. Credit: Eric Shelton/Mississippi Today

House unanimously approves $5K teacher pay raise

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Thu, 02/05/2026 - 12:08 PM

The Senate previously passed a $2K raise. The two chambers would have to reach an agreement.

Every Mississippi lawmaker has voted so far to give teachers a pay raise.

Opinion

Breazeale: The Weight They Carry: Life as a teacher in Mississippi

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Thu, 02/05/2026 - 10:58 AM

Below is an opinion column by Grace Breazeale:

The question before lawmakers this session is whether we will protect that progress or allow it to erode by continuing to ask teachers to carry more than any profession reasonably can.

Politics

House moves $5,000 teacher pay raise bill to the floor

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Thu, 02/05/2026 - 10:36 AM

The bill would also revise the state retirement system’s new Tier 5, cap superintendent salaries, and increase pay for school attendance officers, among other provisions outlined in the measure.

A bill that aims to address the ongoing teacher shortage in the state and proposes to address problems with the state’s retirement system under the new Tier 5 system passed out of the Mississippi House Education and Appropriations Committees on Tuesday.

House Education Chairman Rob Roberson, R-Starkville (left) and Jansen Owen, R-Poplarville, listen as other legislators ask questions of U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Office of Early Childhood Development Laurie Todd-Smith (left) and Lindsey Burke, deputy chief of staff for policy and programs at the U.S. Dept. of Education, during the legislative school choice subcommittee meeting at the State Capitol, Monday, Aug. 25, 2025 in Jackson. Credit: Vickie D. King/Mississippi Today

House promotes $5K teacher pay raise, topping Senate’s $2K

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Wed, 02/04/2026 - 12:02 PM

The House legislation also includes a provision that would allow lawmakers to give assistant teachers a pay raise.

The House is considering giving all Mississippi public school teachers a $5,000 annual pay raise starting next school year, a move that’s been long-called for by the state’s educators.

The bill would raise the state’s minimum annual teacher salary from $41,500 to $46,500, and would give special-education teachers an extra $3,000 a year.

Senate Education Committee Chairman Dennis DeBar Jr., R-Leakesville, receives a question regarding "school choice" legislation that would make it easier for students to transfer out of their assigned public school district to other public school districts, Tuesday, January 6, 2026, at the Mississippi Capitol in Jackson, Miss. Credit: Richard Lake/Mississippi Today

‘The bill dies today.’ Senate committee kills House school choice measure

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Wed, 02/04/2026 - 11:58 AM

The House’s education bill that includes wide expansion of school choice policies is dead, its fate decided after 84 seconds of deliberation by a Senate panel.

The Senate Education Committee met on Tuesday solely to discuss the House’s omnibus education package that included a school choice program that would’ve allowed public dollars to go toward private school tuition and homeschooling.

Politics

Mississippi Democrats celebrate Republican senators’ decision to kill Trump-backed school choice plan

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Wed, 02/04/2026 - 11:48 AM

The Mississippi Democratic Party took a victory lap late Tuesday, following the Senate Education Committee’s vote to killing the Mississippi Education Freedom Act, a proposal that had the support of President Donald Trump, Governor Tate Reeves, House Speaker Jason White and the Mississippi Republican Party.

Speaker Jason White’s signature education freedom package died at the hands of the Senate Education Committee on Tuesday, as Republicans joined Democrats in unanimously killing the measure.

Lions hear Development Foundation plans

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Wed, 02/04/2026 - 08:05 AM

Pat Brown, left, executive director of the Simpson County Development Foundation, shared updates and projects related to economic development in Simpson County with Magee Lions Club members Monday. Brown (also a member of the Lions Club) was the invited guest speaker of Lion Matt Lee.

SCA artists enhance City Park

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Wed, 02/04/2026 - 07:51 AM

Students from Simpson County Academy are making a lasting impact on the Magee community through art and service.
Kimberly Payne’s art students recently spent time at Magee City Park, where they painted the park map and a wall mural, adding bright color and creativity to the popular public space.
The project transformed the park into a more welcoming environment for children and families, while also showcasing the students’ artistic talents. School officials say the effort reflects the heart of SCA and its commitment to serving others beyond the classroom.

Simpson Central Term Two Honors

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Tue, 02/03/2026 - 10:05 AM

Superintendent Scholars:
Eighth Grade: Lydia Booth, Brooklyn Carter, Madelyn Hudson, Shelby Mohon, Spencer Myers, Chance Rodgers, Gracie Snell, Kae'lynn Sterling, Triniti Williams
Fifth Grade: Aiden Martin
Fourth Grade: Addilyn Beaube, Sally Brady, Jenna Overcash, Kodi Ray, Presley Sanders
Third Grade: Lilyanne Ahlberg, Brodie Cook, Maliyah Sandifer, Ezekiel Slater
Principal Scholars:

Schools

Senate college committee moves bills forward focused on financial literacy, scholarship programs

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Fri, 01/30/2026 - 10:28 AM

One state funded scholarship program focuses on traditional students, while the second is geared toward older, returning students.

Bills passed out of the Mississippi Senate Universities and Colleges Committee this week that seek to ensure the financial literacy of students, amend a current state funded financial aid assistance program, and address workforce shortages across the state by offering aid to non-traditional students.

Latino: The House passed school choice, but what is it and why do conservatives want it?

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Thu, 01/29/2026 - 05:50 PM

Below is a political opinion column by Russ Latino:

It is rooted in a very old conservative belief that parents, not the government, are responsible for raising and educating their children. They do not belong to the state.

Social media in Mississippi is abuzz with misinformation and scare tactics over school choice after the Mississippi House of Representatives passed a Trump-backed plan to deliver meaningful options to families in the Magnolia State.

Schools

Wilkinson County School District placed under state control

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Thu, 01/29/2026 - 05:46 PM

Wilkinson County School District has a history of persistently poor academic performance and has not completed an annual financial audit since June 2022.

The Mississippi State Board of Education (MDE) recently announced that they had placed the Wilkinson County School District into a District of Transformation due to serious academic deficiencies. MDE said the deficiencies demonstrate the district’s inability to provide students with an adequate and stable education.

Politics

From vehicle registrations to school nurse pay, House Education Committee moves bills forward

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Thu, 01/29/2026 - 05:26 PM

See what legislation made it out of the Mississippi House Education Committee this week.

The Mississippi House of Representatives passed a number of education-related bills out of committee this week, ranging from requiring schools to have automatic defibrillators on hand during sporting events and practices to requiring parents to use vehicle registration as proof of residency during school registration.

Here is a look at what will be considered by the full House in the days ahead.

Levesque: Mississippi continues to raise educational standards, with opportunities ahead

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Thu, 01/29/2026 - 05:10 PM

Below is an opinion column by Patricia Levesque:

Mississippi is at a unique crossroads: celebrating what’s already been accomplished and tackling what still needs to be done.

Politics

MDES, AccelerateMS, Community College Board make budget requests to Senate

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Thu, 01/29/2026 - 05:02 PM

Lawmakers in both chambers continue to hold budget hearings with state agencies as they work to compile appropriations bills and set a Fiscal Year 2027 state budget.

The Mississippi Department of Employment Security, AccelerateMS and the Community College Board presented their budget proposals to the Senate Appropriations Committee earlier this week.

MDES kicked off the meeting by asking for level spending as well as the ability to keep 22 positions.