Jones: MAE opposes school choice

By Erica Jones, President, Mississippi Association of Educators

Note: The following item is written by Erica Jones and provided by the Mississippi Association of Educators. Opinions expressed are those of the author and not necessarily that of this publication.

We are grateful for the cooperative spirit Mississippi’s Legislature exhibits in their quest to lift our public school system into the best it can be. We are grateful for their willingness to listen to those of us who are working hard to make sure our students,teachers, and support staff are offered every opportunity to succeed. We are still working to Raise Mississippi, and we hope Legislators will join us in that once again.

It concerns us that there may be a serious effort to fund unregulated, expensive, private schools in the guise of “School Choice.” Have no doubt, “School Choice” is a catch phrase for funneling taxpayer money to private schools. Proponents allege that citizens should have the right to use their tax dollars as they see fit, no matter the damage to public institutions.

There’s a reason that the combined funds from all taxpayers provide government services – it’s fair, it’s equitable, it’s efficient, and it makes sense.

Back to schools – Based on the current average daily cost of providing public school education per student at $7,000, if every family received that amount to do with what they will, it would pull $3,056,261,000 out of the state budget. And that doesn’t count administrative, teaching and support staff expenses. Realistically, $7,000 wouldn’t touch what some private schools are charging per student right now. Some charge twice that amount.

Under a full School Choice plan, what would happen to the federal money allotted to Mississippi to help support our schools? What happens if the chosen school doesn’t accept all student applicants? Who would be responsible if student achievement plummets?

And then there is the Constitution issue. The Mississippi Constitution strictly prohibits giving public funds to private schools. Yes. It’s unconstitutional. So there’s that.

Clearly, the idea of School Choice could turn out to be a disaster, and that’s why the Mississippi Association of Educators opposes it. A child’s education experience is not a rehearsal. We’ve got one chance to get it right and experimenting with their futures isn’t part of the performance.

We do understand that there are situations where students should not be forced to attend their neighborhood school – if it doesn’t provide special needs education, for example. Children abused through trafficking and other atrocities inhibiting their ability to thrive in a normal school setting should be considered too. We are not opposed to providing these students with the types of specialized educational opportunities they need, and we encourage Legislators to work toward solidifying such systems.