Over the past few months, universal school choice has been the center of discussion throughout the nation. Many states, including Mississippi, will likely see the subject at the forefront of the 2026 legislative session.
On Monday afternoon, Aug. 25, the Mississippi House Select Committee on Education Freedom listened during its inaugural meeting to two Trump administration officials give presentations promoting universal school choice.
House Speaker Jason White created the committee, chaired by State Rep. Rob Roberson, R-Dist. 43, and Rep. Jansen Owen, R-Dist. 106, as one of three select committees geared toward passing conservative legislation in the 2026 session. The other two committees focus on PERS and voters’ rights.
Monday’s meeting saw a packed room. Community members both for and against universal school choice sat at long tables and in metal fold-out chairs brought in after the room started filling up. Some stood along the walls of the circular room.
As the meeting began, Roberson said he had already received calls both for and against “the bill,” which does not exist yet. He emphasized that the purpose of Monday’s meeting was to hear from experts. A bill on universal school choice has not yet been drafted.
Laurie Todd-Smith and Lindsey Burke gave presentations promoting expanded school choice.
School choice is a concept in which parents gain access to non-traditional schooling options such as private, charter or religious schools, through federal funding.
Currently, 18 states have universal school choice, and another 15 have some form of school choice for select groups, according to ballotpedia.org. Mississippi has school choice for children with disabilities, a program that is used only by a handful of students each year.
A Mississippi native, Todd-Smith is the deputy assistant secretary for early childhood development at the Administration for Children and Families in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, a role she began in March. Todd-Smith also worked in the first Trump administration as the director of the Women’s Bureau at the U.S. Department of Labor.
Todd-Smith, a former elementary school teacher, also spent eight years as former Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant’s education policy advisor. She is often credited as a cornerstone in the “Mississippi Miracle.”
On Monday, Todd-Smith said in her 35 years in education, she has heard every reason to avoid school choice.
“I can tell you that after 35 years, there’s not one state where the sky fell and everything closed down and the public schools are in dire straits,” Todd-Smith said. “(School choice) is simply a way to give parents more options. … I think Mississippi could really learn from how other states have implemented it. You have an opportunity to expand.”
Todd-Smith used Arizona as an example of successful school choice programs. In 2022, Arizona became the first state with universal school choice and supported more than 59,000 students within the first year, according to the New York Times. However, studies have shown the majority of vouchers given out in Arizona go to families living in wealthy areas.
Trump appointed Lindsey Burke as deputy chief of staff for policy and programs on June 6. Burke works under U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon, an outspoken advocate for expanding school choice.
Burke provided data from states with universal school choice. She said studies have found that public schools improve from the competition of school choice. Burke also said studies have shown no negative impact for taxpayers in states with universal school choice.
Both Burke and Todd-Smith repeated the same sentiment during their presentations: school choice gives control to parents, and parents know what’s best for their children.
Controversy around expanding school choice
Monday’s committee meeting comes just weeks after President Trump signed into law an opt-in federal tax credit program benefitting private school students as part of the One Big Beautiful Big Act.
Under the new program, an eligible American taxpayer can donate to a designated nonprofit supporting private schools and receive a dollar-for-dollar tax credit up to $1,700 annually.
Among other benefits, the donations can cover scholarships to private schools.
The dollar-for-dollar match is unprecedented; most donations to nonprofits come with a tax deduction, which lowers the donor’s amount of taxable income.
Proponents of the federal tax credits hope the program will expand school choice in Mississippi, allowing more opportunities for students who otherwise cannot afford private school.
Others view the program as an indirect way of putting federal dollars into private schools, a practice that many state constitutions, including Mississippi’s, expressly forbid.
During Monday’s meeting, Burke said the federal tax credit program does not violate Mississippi’s constitution because the funds are “not directly funding a school. They are funding the family who then chooses a school.”
What’s next?
Monday’s meeting was the first step in a months-long endeavor to expand school choice in Mississippi.
White has publicly advocated for expanding school choice in Mississippi on several occasions. During the Neshoba County Fair in late July, White said school choice is about giving parents control and pushed back against what he said are media narratives that mischaracterize the issue.
In a press release announcing the select committee, White said education freedom is the top priority moving into the next legislative session.
“Looking ahead, the House remains resolute in its pursuit of commonsense, conservative legislation, which is why you will see Education Freedom as the top priority in the House for the 2026 Legislative Session,” the press release states. “We are committed to transforming the educational landscape in Mississippi to ensure that every child in our state has access to an education that caters to their unique needs and aspirations.”
The Select Committee on Education Freedom will meet several more times and hear from several more experts, including those who oppose expanding school choice, Roberson said.
During the following months, the committee will use the information gathered in these discussions to draft legislation to present during the 2026 legislative session, which begins in January.
The Select Committee on Education Freedom has a tentative second meeting date for Sept. 25.
Mary Boyte – Aug. 2025