The Senate Ed Committee heard from MDE officials this week on the successes of MS’s education system. It could foreshadow a fight between the two chambers in the 2026 session, as House leadership makes a full-court press for expanding “school choice.” mississippitoday.org/2025/10/10/sen…

Among the Education Department’s new appointees is Lindsey Burke, the lead author of Project 2025’s education section. She envisions dramatic enrollment declines for public schools: “We’re going to have a lot of empty school buildings.” propublica.org/article/educat…

Special ed office wiped out at Education Department, union says The Education Department laid off nearly everyone at the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services. USA TODAY Zach Schermele usatoday.com/story/news/edu…

New: Following public outcry, the Department of Education has reversed its decision to cut funding for students who have both hearing and vision loss, opting instead to reroute grants to an organization that will provide funding to these students. propub.li/4obv6TO

One by one, universal school-choice programs are expanding across the Southeast. Now, as state lawmakers are considering doing the same in Mississippi, they’re looking to our neighbors and talking to experts about what happened in those states. buff.ly/E5wybeo

Nancy Loome, executive director of The Parents' Campaign public education advocacy group counters many points proponents are making in their push for more school choice in Mississippi. buff.ly/Vgy5O1j

My colleague Leonardo Bevilacqua was in Leland to talk with community members, including those who attended a vigil this evening. Here's the story with that dispatch along with reporting from me, candice wilder and Jerry Mitchell:

“The biggest remnant of Katrina that is still causing a disaster is the insurance." People on the Coast fear rising insurance premiums are already pushing lower- and middle-income families away from what used to be blue-collar communities. buff.ly/qiwGMov

Amid Mississippi’s teacher shortage, a new program puts virtual teachers in schools struggling to staff core subjects. Student learning suffered during pandemic-era online classes. But high schoolers and MDE officials say that this program is different. mississippitoday.org/2025/10/15/a-g…

Chronic absenteeism, or students missing 10% or more of the school year, has more than doubled in Mississippi since 2018. buff.ly/7nmmoWf

absolutely heartbreaking nytimes.com/2025/10/17/us/…

After months of speculation and an inquiry from a U.S. senator, a federal judge in Mississippi has finally admitted his staff used AI to create a factually inaccurate order. mississippitoday.org/2025/10/23/fed…

Jackson Public Schools says it will “pursue all available options” to oppose a local charter’s expansion into high school grades. mississippitoday.org/2025/10/23/cha…

The latest meeting of the Mississippi House committee studying school choice opened with a bold statement yesterday: Private schools could be convinced to support “school choice” and take public dollars — as long as there are no strings attached. mississippitoday.org/2025/10/24/sch…

A one-year sentence for a Drug Court infraction became a lifetime sentence as an amputee, a Mississippi man alleges in a federal lawsuit. He filed his lawsuit and reached out to Mississippi Today after it began publishing its Behind Bars, Beyond Care series mississippitoday.org/2025/10/27/cru…

Ricky Neaves said the push for expanded “school choice” by Mississippi lawmakers could have a drastic impact on athletics and other programs in the state’s public education system. buff.ly/fj6YA3f

Four Mississippi superintendents told the Senate ed committee yesterday that school choice would be disastrous for their districts. “Public schools aren’t afraid of competition, but … true competition only exists when everyone plays by the same rules.“ mississippitoday.org/2025/10/29/mis…

The Kosciusko Board of Aldermen adopted an anti-school choice resolution on Tuesday night, breaking from their representative, House Speaker Jason White, and the set of policies that he's aggressively pushing at the Capitol. mississippitoday.org/2025/11/05/kos…

The latest results of Mississippi’s third grade reading test show no dramatic declines or gains in student performance, with the pass rate staying at about 85%. mississippitoday.org/2025/11/13/mis…

The Mississippi Board of Education voted today to take over Okolona School District again. The district was under state control from 2010 to 2012. District leaders reached out to MDE two weeks ago when they realized they couldn't make November's payroll. mississippitoday.org/2025/11/14/sta…