Whitaker: Improve K-12 education in Miss. with choice

Education has been a high-profile topic this election season in Mississippi as the heated debates over Initiative 42 have roared across the state. With the votes counted, the dust is finally settling and emotions are beginning to cool. And while there is still division over the failed ballot measure, there is a general consensus that something must be done to improve education in Mississippi.

With so many voters at the polls clearly expressing their discontent with the current state of education, it is likely the state Legislature will continue to increase public school funding in Mississippi at historically unprecedented levels. The election results on Initiative 42 will be read by many as a mandate for higher levels of funding, and the still-mobilized Initiative 42 campaigners will use every opportunity to press the case for “full” MAEP funding. There is a danger that this will lead to an entrenchment of the same old rationale that confuses dollars and funding with educational results.

People frequently ask me why I am so interested in this topic. The answer is that it is really quite personal for me. I grew up in a small town in Mississippi and began kindergarten at the local public school. By the middle of the school year, my father was concerned about the quality of the education that I was receiving. One day, while driving home from work, he noticed a small Christian private school that had recently opened in a nearby town. He felt compelled to stop, to speak with the school administrators, and to schedule a family visit.

I was able to tell the difference the first time that I walked in the door of that new school. The teachers were more upbeat, the classes were smaller, and the students seemed genuinely happier. At the end of kindergarten, I changed schools and became one of the first in my hometown to discover school choice. I have been a firm believer in school choice ever since.

It is a shame every child does not have the chance to experience what I did. Although there are many highly rated public school districts in Mississippi, many K-12 students in our state are trapped and languishing in under-performing schools. Many of the parents of these children are unaware they have options. Many are unable to afford tuition. And many others have no tangible local options. But children in Mississippi deserve better than what many are currently receiving.

This is the point where some will say the problem is public funding and that the answer is more money. However, it is clear to far too many residents in our state that there are structural problems that will not be remedied merely by the availability of increased budgets. There is a need for a whole new approach, which I hope is slowly taking root.

The answer for education in Mississippi is more school choice and more emphasis on the needs of the individual student. The charter school bill, the literacy coaches and the third-grade gate, among other recent measures, provide a foundation and a great start to improving education in Mississippi. Now, let's ensure the nascent promise that these measures represent for Mississippi's children is realized and every family has a choice on the school to which they send their children.

Parents should have more options and more positive freedom to pursue those options for their children. No child should be deprived of an education that prepares them for the future. Indeed, their future is quite limited without the kind of education that only a quality school, whether public or private, can provide. Let's increase the educational options. Let's continue to improve K-12 education in Mississippi by increasing school choice and the availability of quality schools for all children.

James Andrew Whitaker teaches classes in anthropology at the University of Mississippi.  The views represented herein are solely those of the author.