HERNANDO, Miss. — The upcoming Mississippi legislative session is expected to be dominated by a “school choice” debate, a lobbyist told DeSoto County officials, warning that the “devil’s in the details.”
Austin Barbour of the Clearwater Group LLC, the county’s lobbying firm, said the issue would likely “suck all the oxygen out of the capital” as supervisors expressed concern over the potential impact on the county’s strong public school system.
Barbour’s firm represents the county’s interests in Jackson. He previewed the session during a work meeting with the Board of Supervisors, which is scheduled to meet with the county’s legislative delegation on Dec. 1 to discuss its formal priorities.
Supervisors, who have compiled their priorities into a booklet, voiced caution on the school choice topic.
“The devil’s in the details as to what school choice means,” said Supervisor Mark Foster, a former state legislator. “Before I make a decision on what would be in the bill.”
Supervisor President Mark Gardner echoed the sentiment, noting the ambiguity of the proposal.
“Everybody’s got their idea of what it means,” Gardner said. “It seems to me like… it will dilute our public school system in a big way.”
Barbour acknowledged the county’s success is tied to its schools.
“The great success of DeSoto County from your economic growth… is because you have such a super strong public school system here, and I know y’all want to do everything you can to protect it,” Barbour said.
He identified the governor, lieutenant governor, house speaker, and education committee chairs as the leaders who will “ultimately determine what bill they move forward.”
While school choice is the largest anticipated topic, Barbour noted other significant issues, including reform for the Public Employees’ Retirement System (PERS) and potential teacher pay raises, along with the budget, which was a major point of contention in the last session.
The board plans to present its booklet to the delegation, focusing on its “top five legislative issues” to ensure its message is clear.
Austin Barbour of the Clearwater Group LLC, which represents DeSoto County on legislative issues, discusses primary issues for the 2026 legislative session with supervisors on Monday afternoon. (Bob Bakken/desotocountynews.com)
Bob Bakken provides content for DeSoto County News and its social media channels. He is an award-winning broadcaster, along with being a reporter and photographer, and has done sports media relations work with junior and minor league hockey teams. Along with his reports on this website, you will find this veteran media member providing sports updates and high school football play-by-play on Rebel 95.3 FM Radio.
