Dr. Lauri Todd-Smith (left) and Dr. Lindsey Burke (right)
- The agenda will feature two respected leaders in education policy, Dr. Laurie Todd-Smith and Dr. Lindsey Burke.
The first meeting of the Mississippi House Education Freedom Select Committee will feature two speakers, Dr. Laurie Todd-Smith and Dr. Lindsey Burke.
Just after the 2025 legislative session, Speaker Jason White (R) announced the formation of certain select committees to gather information to support the drafting of bills that will be introduced during the 2026 session. One of those committees is the Education Freedom Select Committee, where school choice is expected to be a main topic of conversation.
During the Neshoba County Fair, White indicated that the House is considering all forms of school choice, from public-to-public transfers to potentially allowing parents to use state funds to offset the cost of private school, among other options.
State Rep. Rob Roberson (R), Chairman of the House Education Freedom Select Committee, said Dr. Todd-Smith and Dr. Burke will be the only two people on the agenda for their first meeting set for August 25 at 1 p.m. at the State Capitol. The meeting will not be live streamed.
Dr. Todd-Smith has experience as an educator in the public school sector, and as a childcare director in several states, including Mississippi. Having served under President Donald Trump’s first administration as the director of the Women’s Bureau at the U.S. Department of Labor, she joined his current administration in March of this year as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Early Childhood Development at the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. In that role, Todd-Smith leads ACF’s Office of Early Childhood Development which oversees the Office of Head Start and Office of Child Care.
Todd-Smith, a graduate of Mississippi State University, has assisted states in advancing evidence-based education policy reforms, including the expansion of school choice. She also helped with the expansion of early literacy programs and advocated for foster care reform and the safety of children on the Internet.
Joining Todd-Smith at the House Select Committee meeting is Dr. Burke who currently serves as Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and Programs at the U.S. Department of Education. Prior to that role, she worked with the Heritage Foundation for 17 years. Burke held the position of Director of the Center for Education Policy where she was over the foundation’s policy and research of preschool, K-12 and higher education. Research conducted by Burke in that time was published by Social Science Quarterly and Educational Research and Evaluation, which are peer-reviewed journals.
Burke was also a fellow at EdChoice and on the national advisory board for Learn4Life and served on the board of Educational Freedom Institute. She earned her Ph.D. in education policy at the Virginia-based George Mason University.
