10/24/25 Legislative Update: House Select Committees on PERS and Education Freedom Meet

The House Select Committee on PERS met Monday, October 20, 2025. Actuaries with CavMac Consulting and GRS Consulting testified before the committee. CavMac Consulting provided several funding options for the legislature’s consideration, including providing a $200 million infusion of additional funding from the state annually for the next 30 years which would result in a 109.3% funded ratio in 2054. GRS Consulting’s testimony emphasized if the state doesn’t fund PERS now, it will pay a great deal more to do so later.

The House Select Committee on Education Freedom held its third meeting yesterday, October 23, 2025. The following speakers provided comments to the committee:

• Barrett Donahoe, Executive Director of the Midsouth Association of Independent Schools (MAIS, the association for private schools in our state), shared his association’s history of faith-based education in our state and its primary mission of reaching students for Christ. He cited independent schools’ autonomy, especially when it comes to admission standards, testing and curriculum. Several committee members asked Donahoe what it would take for MAIS to support school choice legislation, and he responded that maintaining this autonomy is a non-negotiable for MAIS and its member schools. Thus, independent schools will accept state funds, but they don’t want any strings attached.
• Chad Harrison and Tim Shramek spoke on behalf of the Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA). They shared MHSAA members’ concerns related to school choice, including the imbalance of school classifications and divisions, the recruiting/poaching of athletes, and homeschool students not being required to meet academic standards. MHSAA requested that if any school choice legislation is passed, that MHSAA maintain its current eligibility rules.
• Mary Werner, At Large Representative on the Mississippi State Board of Education, stated she was there as an individual and not representing the State Board. Werner said she supports school choice and suggested the fairest way to offer choice is through a lottery. She did not have prepared remarks; rather, she offered various thoughts and comments.
• Sam Duell, Head of Policy for yes.every kid., shared polling data related to why students leave schools and what parents are looking for in a school. His organization operates under the umbrella of Stand Together, a nonprofit within the Koch Network which was founded by billionaire Charles Koch, one of our nation’s largest advocates for increasing school choice via vouchers and charter schools and who has spent millions on initiatives to do so.

The Senate Education Committee will continue its conversation and discussion with MDE staff next Tuesday, October 28. The meeting is scheduled to begin at 9:00 a.m. in Room 216 and a livestream should be available via the legislature’s YouTube channel.