In Mississippi, some lawmakers are considering the idea of “education freedom” or “school choice” modeled after programs in Florida, Arkansas, and Arizona. What’s interesting is that most of the “lobby” for it is coming from outside of Mississippi. On the surface, it sounds appealing: give families a “choice” about where their children go to school. But beneath the slogan, this proposal carries real risks, especially for strong rural communities like ours.
Here’s the reality: public schools are the only institutions legally required to serve every single child, no matter their background, income, learning needs, or family situation. They are accountable to taxpayers, driven by high standards, and transparent with every dollar. Private schools, while valuable to some families, don’t play by the same rules. They decide who to admit, what to teach, and what services to provide. And yet these proposals would take public dollars away from public schools and hand them to private institutions that are not accountable to the public. What’s more, the private schools have even gone so far as to say that they’re not interested in operating under such regulation. That is the very nature of why they exist and there’s not necessarily anything wrong with that except for that notion that public money deserves public accountability.
I like to think of it this way: schools are like public parks and public roads. Every citizen contributes to them, and every citizen benefits from them. Even if I don’t personally use a park or drive a certain road, I understand they serve the public good. If I want my own private park or road, I can certainly build one, but with my own money. Most of us would agree it would be wrong to ask taxpayers to cover the cost of my private project.
The same is true for education. Parents are free to choose private school, but those choices should be funded privately. Redirecting taxpayer dollars meant for all children into private institutions that serve only some children undermines the very foundational idea of serving the public good.
This issue is especially important for rural communities like ours. Unlike larger cities, we don’t have an abundance of private options. That means voucher dollars would leave our schools without providing real choices to most families. The end result? Fewer resources for our teachers, fewer opportunities for our students, and a weaker public school system for the next generation.
What we have here is worth protecting. Success doesn’t happen by chance. It happens because a community pulls together parents, grandparents, teachers, churches, small businesses, and taxpayers alike. In a rural town like ours, schools are more than classrooms. They are the Friday night lights, the place where we gather for nearly everything, the heart of our community life. The strength of our schools has always depended on the togetherness of our people.
And while we are certainly most accountable for our own children, we cannot pretend that we bear no responsibility for others. Every child in our community matters. It truly takes a village to raise children to be productive, difference-making citizens. Supporting strong public schools is one of the most powerful ways we live out that shared responsibility.
School choice proposals risk pulling us apart by fragmenting society and by potentially stifling the very resources and attributes that make our public schools strong. We should be proud of what we’ve built together, and we should be committed to protecting it.
The future of our schools, our town, and our children depends on us choosing to stand together. Let’s keep investing in the public good. Let’s keep building a system that serves ALL children. And let’s keep showing Mississippi what a united community can accomplish when it refuses to be divided.
Dr. Tyler Hansford is the Superintendent of the Union Public School District. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Mississippi State, a master’s degree from Arkansas State, and specialist and doctoral degrees from William Carey University. He currently serves as President of the Mississippi Association of School Superintendents and Past-President of East MS Center for Educational Development. His research interest focuses on academic success in rural schools.
