Choice Impacts Resources Mississippi public school districts serve nearly 90% of our state’s students and do so using lo - cal, state, and federal funding. While provisions of previous school choice legislation considered at the state capitol provided that state funding would follow the student, there is a misconcep - tion that state funds cover a majority of costs in districts. This is not true. Local dollars generated from local taxes pay a significant portion of dis - trict expenses, including bond issues for facility improvements or expansion. For the 2022-2023 school year, state funds accounted for 45.53% of revenue for public schools, while federal funds accounted for 23.76% and local funds accounted for 30.71% of revenue. While it may sound reasonable to ask citizens if they support parents’ right to take a more active role in deciding the best path for their children’s education via school choice, a more relevant question may be whether local taxpayers support funding education for students outside their own community. It could pose a significant challenge for local districts to pass local tax increases or bond issues to educate students from outside
No better evidence of the failures of choice has been witnessed than in Chile, a country whose adoption of choice did not result in improved test scores but did result in schools becoming socially segregated between the “haves” and “have nots”, causing a disparity between students based on the salaries of their parents. Mississippi Offers Choice Mississippi offers several forms of choice, includ - ing charter schools and magnet schools. State law allows students to enroll in a public school dis - trict outside of their district of residence with the consent of both districts. The state offers three scholarship or voucher programs for students with disabilities (speech-language, dyslexia, and special needs) to help pay for private school or education services. The Children’s Promise Act, a tax-credit education savings account, has provid - ed $35 million to independent schools in the last 5 years. Most recently, legislation passed during the 2024 Mississippi Legislative Session allows children of active military members to attend the district of their choice. Additionally, parents retain the option to enroll their child in a private school at their own expense.
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