House Education Freedom Committee Meets: Federal Official Urges Lawmakers to Protect Private Schools

The House Education Freedom Committee held its first meeting yesterday, August 25, 2025. Speaker Jason White created this special committee in June to study and assess the House’s commitment to “transforming the educational landscape” in our state via school choice. House Education Chairman Rob Roberson of Starkville serves as chair of the select committee while Rep. Jansen Owen of Poplarville serves as co-chair.

Two federal administration officials spoke during yesterday’s three-hour meeting. Dr. Laurie Todd-Smith, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Office of Early Childhood Development, focused her comments on choice in early education. While parents may choose from several early learning options (Head Start, private childcare centers, faith-based centers, early learning collaboratives, State Invested Pre-K Program), Todd-Smith contends the state can do more in this area.

Dr. Lindsey Burke, U.S. Department of Education Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and Programs, acknowledged Mississippi’s recent educational gains, but cited NAEP proficiency rates as an impetus for universal choice. Her presentation did not include NAEP scores for private schools as they do not have standardized testing or performance metrics. Burke shared that choice enables parents to raise their children according to their own values and that education is about moral formation and preparation for citizenship.

Dr. Burke repeatedly encouraged committee members to look at Arizona as a model choice program, but her comments misrepresented that state’s choice experience, as program costs have significantly exceeded initial projections and the program primarily serves students already in private schools. She encouraged committee members to pursue universal choice in the form of universal education savings accounts (ESAs), as vouchers pay for tuition while ESAs offer parents more flexibility for expenses they deem necessary for their child’s education. She also urged legislators not to place regulations or accountability requirements on private schools via the new federal tax credit program that will fund scholarships for private school tuition. A closing slide of Dr. Burke’s PowerPoint directed lawmakers to “protect private schools” and stated that lawmakers’ role “is to protect private schools.”

The committee will meet again September 25 and plans to have several meetings throughout the fall to solicit input from supporters and opponents of the school choice issue. It is critical that House members hear from educators and concerned citizens on this issue. Mississippians in each Mississippi House district elect their representative to serve the interests of that House district, not the interests of the federal administration, the governor, or legislative leadership. It is your right to share your thoughts with your representative, and MPE encourages you to do so today!