Speaker White expects a Mississippi education reform package next session

• White said Monday that switching from focusing on failing institutions and districts to students and parents is key.

During a speech Monday at the Stennis Capitol Press Forum in Jackson, House Speaker Jason White (R) said Mississippi could see another education miracle when the chamber takes up reforms during the 2026 session.

The reforms are expected to come in a single bill addressing a wide range of educational problems Mississippi is currently facing, he said.

White has appointed a team of legislators, educators and community members to examine the issues.

Key to reforming the state’s educational system, he said, is switching from focusing on failing institutions and districts to students and parents.

“We need to look at the child and the factors that are causing the student to struggle,” he said, noting a wide array of issues will be examined, from poverty to foster care to homelessness.

Earlier this summer, Speaker White announced the creation of an Education Freedom Select Committee, aimed at “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 reforms to be considered, White said, should allow parents, students, and teachers to have more say in education, admitting some of the reforms could be controversial such as a Mississippi version of a “Tim Tebow Bill” which would allow homeschoolers to participate in public school extracurricular activities.

White said the reforms are currently “in its research and development phase” and will be “bold and uncomfortable” for many people. He told the press that many options will be explored during early discussions, including school district consolidations.

Mississippi currently ranks 16th nationwide in education in the latest KIDS COUNT Data Book, up significantly from years earlier when it was hovering around 49th or 50th.  After the state passed legislation that emphasized reading and math intervention, test scores skyrocketed.

Both House and Senate leaders agree that bringing retired teachers back into the classroom as well as considering another round of teacher pay raises are feasible ideas to continue to tackle the state’s teacher shortage, White said. He said those reforms will cost millions but noted the state’s $7 billion surplus.

White also addressed the notion that there is a deep animosity between the two chambers as public displays of frustration erupted in both the House and Senate this session.

“I know it was pretty ugly at times,” he said of the 2025 legislative session. “But in the end, the chambers passed legislation and a $7.135 billion budget.”

However, White said House leadership was upfront with Senate leaders that business as usual was not going to continue when it came to how the state budget was to be considered.

“From the get-go, we were clear that the budget wasn’t going to be done in the last few days,” White said.

While the budget ultimately passed the Legislature last month after a special session was needed to finalize appropriations bills, Speaker White did say he was “disappointed” that the special session did not include funding for local projects, a sticking point for the Senate. However, the Speaker said the House’s 2026 legislative session “will maintain the same thinking” as the 2025 session.