Big news on School Choice this week! A fresh poll shows massive support in Mississippi to have families, not government, control their child’s education. Mississippi voters say they’ll reward lawmakers who make it happen.
The brand-new statewide survey (October 27-30, 2025) conducted by The Tarrance Group shows rock-solid support for expanding education freedom. There is massive bipartisan support across every region, race, and political affiliation. Any little cliques that try to derail school choice need to know what they are going to be up against. Either they can support School Choice and President Trump, or they can side with leftwing teacher unions - and lose, as some anti School Choice lawmakers in Texas found out. Here’s what Mississippi voters are saying - loud and clear:* 86% support parents, not government, choosing the best school for their child (58% strongly). Support spans demographics: 87% White, 83% Black, 93% Republican, 83% Independent, 76% Democrat.
* 75% support Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) for all families—no income caps, no district restrictions. 75% of K-12 parents agree. 83% of Republicans, 73% of Independents, 65% of Democrats.* 79% are more likely to vote for legislators who expand ESAs statewide and universally (+58 net favorability). Even 71% of Democrats say they’re more likely to support pro-ESA lawmakers. 78% agree that when funding follows the child, schools become more accountable (35% strongly). * 77% support letting dissatisfied families switch schools and take their funding with them.* Bonus boost: 66% say President Trump’s strong support for universal school choice makes them more supportive (+34 net). Mississippians see progress and according to the poll, 58% say K-12 education is heading in the right direction - and 65% of parents agree. Wanting School Choice is not fringe – it’s the mainstream position in Mississippi. With your help, we’ll hold lawmakers accountable and deliver the education freedom Mississippi families deserve. Douglas Carswell is the President and CEO of the Mississippi Center for Public Policy.
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23 comments:
You know who is against school choice? Parents with kids in good schools.
Kosciusko is against school choice.
12:35 agree. I pay extra to send my kids to private school not just for the curriculum but also the environment. Also how long before they use the government money as an excuse to change the curriculum to a more inclusive(i.e. non christian) model.
Mississippi is behind in education largely bc it lacks school choice. My two sons attend Jackson Prep and we live in the city of Jackson but I think everyone should have a choice. Most conservative states already have this.
There's already school choice, chose to work hard, be disciplined, plan and move to an area with good schools, or enroll your kids in private schools. This will do nothing but hurt good schools that are within driving distance of bad schools. I'd love to know where the money is coming from to press fro this.
Wasn’t Douggie saying how polls were all wrong when it came to Trump and elections? Wasn’t he saying polls are unreliable? Yet, here he is again relying upon a poll.
Perhaps they’re only right and reliable when they agree with him.
12:35 exactly. And I bet that if put to a vote, it would fail. Polls aren't accurate. My demographic somehow never gets polled. Probably because my demographic isn't pushing narratives such as school choice and the pollsters know it.
Does this mean I get to use the tax money slated to fund the public school system to pay for my child's home schooling?
Allowing vouchers to be used at any instate public school that has the capacity to take the student with no restrictions needs to happen ASAP. This really doesn't even need a "Program", MDE already has a system to track children's attendance, just need the funds to follow the child, could even be on a daily basis. Much simpler, easier to manage and most of the system is already paid for.
Allowing taxpayer funds to be channeled to private schools. This has been happening for several years under guise of "special needs", so taxpayers end up paying for well-to-do persons children at private schools. It would be interesting to see a list of the 1/2 "reserved" slots in this program, a lot of people would be surprised who is benefiting.
A concern I see with a mentioned component of these programs; when people talk about setting up vouchers with no oversight using taxpayer funds paid to private schools, most folks are thinking academies such as we have today. I predict that within a few short years this money would be used to fund dozens of junior madrasas. The other avenue would be channel these taxpayer funds through shell organizations that look like "schools" for home school programs. Too many ways to game the program.
Paying for private school, home school or other types of education programs should be the responsibility of parents, not taxpayers. Taxpayers should fund public schools.
I hope the people who support this understand the consequences. The children will have to compete to get into the better schools. Public schools will not be able to provide the ones left with an adequate education due to lack of funding that will be sent to private schools, online schools, and all the other entities this will encourage. The people already paying private school tuition will take public school money to pay those private schools. There are good ideas here, but the financing of it all clearly only benefits the wealthy.
Tarrance had Trump +7 in Florida two week out from the election. His final margin of victory there was nearly double that. I'm sure there are other polls they've produced to be analyzed. Pollster accuracy is the actual litmus test.
Reality: Most members of the legislature do not want this, but they cannot afford to oppose Speaker Jason White. The same guy who temporarily moved from his district so his son could play football at MRA.
I know the proponents of school choice cite the fact that transportation to out of district schools will be the responsibility of the parents, not the school district. Bulls*!t!! You can bet that after two or three years the cries will be heard in the legislature that it's not fair that students that chose to transfer to another district to not be furnished free transportation. Then who is going to pay for it? Someone hasn't thought this out completely.
For parents already paying private school tuition, thinking they are going get some or all the cost covered by taxpayers; this infusion of taxpayer funding would be highly inflationary. The $7k per year cost would quickly balloon well beyond the value of the voucher.
Tell that BS to Madison Central when 300 from Canton (sixty yards away) sue because the better district won't absorb them. Good schools will be tied up in litigation for the next 25 years. Deja Vu with integration as a solution. Still in court.
The private schools are going to raise tuition by almost the exact amount of the voucher.
Here is my suspicions on what happens if "school choice" in terms of a voucher of say, $5000 per child per family passes.
The existing well respected private schools will raise tuition. They are already well over $5K in price but they will raise it at least a few thousand to capture more money.
Some new private schools will be formed and magically cost the amount of the voucher that is being received. This will include more online options that disguise themselves as being "accredited" by someone that may or may not receive scrutiny in terms of quality.
More families will "homeschool" because they see the money available. I have no problem with homeschooling but not everyone does it for the right reasons. Some families will just take the money, not homeschool their kid, but want them to return to the public system if they get tired of dealing with them, the kid gets in trouble, and the student is much further behind than they were before.
I don't think this is a good idea and is mainly a priority because the national Republican party has said it's a good idea. It isn't a good idea for Mississippi.
A private school, as I understand it, can interview and accept or reject an applicant. Further, parents would have to make up the balance of tuition, after the ($8,000 +/-) voucher was applied.
It may be more likely that the parents would use the new freedom to transfer to a better public school, which competition is what is intended by instituting the program.
Yet another push poll. Yawn.
Why don't you just ask them, straight up: "Do you support other parents taking funding away from your child's school because they want to attend a private school?"
It's just that simple. Write back with your results.
Next ask: "Do you think if private schools take public dollars, they should be held to the same standards as public schools?"
My demographic somehow never gets polled.
And you sample size = 1? Get over yourself.
The people already paying private school tuition will take public school money to pay those private schools.
So in your mind families with students currently in private schools should be forced to continue to pay double.
Most members of the legislature do not want this ...
How do you know?
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