Mississippi

MS House committee passes massive school choice expansion bill. What it means

Published

2 months ago

January 15, 2026

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MS House committee passes massive school choice expansion bill. What it means

Mississippi Clarion Ledger

A Mississippi education bill proposes creating 12,500 educational savings accounts for school choice.
The accounts would provide up to $7,000 per child for private or charter school expenses.
The legislation also includes a $3,000 pay raise for assistant teachers.
Democrats raised concerns that the bill would divert necessary funds from public education.

The education bill championed by Mississippi House Speaker Jason White narrowly passed its first test in the legislature Wednesday. The legislation focuses on aligning Mississippi with its conservative neighbors by expanding and funding school choice options.

One of the most controversial provisions of the massive bill involves creating 12,500 educational savings accounts. The state would allocate more than $87 million to create these accounts, which would give the families of eligible students up to $7,000 per child to cover costs such as uniforms and tuition at private and charter schools.

Half of the initial savings accounts would be designated for students currently enrolled in public schools, and education committee chairman Rob Roberson, R-Starkville, said the selection process would prioritize low-income students.

“This is designed to make certain that if you’re 100% below the median income, you are the first in line to get this money,” he said in the Wednesday committee meeting. “We want to make certain that our kids out there that really haven’t had an opportunity to go anywhere else would have that opportunity.”

The accounts would provide funds for fewer than 3% of Mississippi’s school-age children in the 2027-2028 school year, if the bill passes, with scheduled increases in the number of savings accounts for the following three school years. After that, the number of savings accounts would only increase if there aren’t enough savings accounts for all interested students.

The bill is estimated to cost more than $160 million in its first year, the bulk of which would go to the student savings accounts. Included in the total is around $29 million allocated for assistant teacher pay raises. Roberson said the raise, a $3,000 bump that would bring minimum assistant teacher salaries up to $20,000 a year, was one of the provisions he thought was most important.

“It’s absolutely insane that anybody could even do it for $20,000 a year, and I hope we can work on increasing that going forward,” Roberson said.

The bill does not include teacher or professor salary increases, which differs from the legislation coming out of the Senate. A bill from Sen. Dennis DeBar, R-Leakesville, proposing a $2,000 raise for teachers passed the Senate and was sent to the House last week, but the House has not voted on it yet.

Roberson said he thought a discussion about teacher pay raises was worth having, but the House education bill was not the right place for it.

“It’s not in this bill because I don’t want to put anybody in this room in a position to suggest that I’m forcing you to vote against the teacher pay raise if you’re against [school choice],” he told the committee. “I’m all in favor of a teacher pay increase, but what I’m more in favor of is making certain that our babies are getting educated.”

Democrat legislators focused on the school choice aspect of the bill in the committee hearing, where they debated the impact of a potential mass exodus to private or charter schools on public education.

“We talk about how public education is the gateway for every family to have success, but we also know that we have underfunded public education since we’ve been in this government,” said Rep. Cheikh Taylor, D-Starkville. “This is a gateway, in my opinion, that we see that there’s going to be an advancement of tons of charter schools coming forward with zero accountability.”

Roberson said the bill was not the perfect solution to the problems facing Mississippi schools.

“This bill is not the end-all to fix all for schools. Never has been,” he said. “It is a piece of the puzzle that we need to continue working on.”

Democrats, including Taylor, warned committee members of the legislation’s impact on the average Mississippi family.

“Most of us run on public education, and therefore, if we divert these funds from public education, we’re also diverting funds from the entire philosophy that gives advancement to most families,” Taylor said, gesturing at banners on the committee room wall declaring that several school districts received an “A” grade. “How do we throw away the progress on the wall for 12,500 students?”

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Mississippi

Carpenter Pole and Piling invests $5M in Mississippi, creating 10 jobs

Published

45 minutes ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

Carpenter Pole and Piling invests M in Mississippi, creating 10 jobs

Staff
| Mississippi Clarion Ledger

A Mississippi wood products manufacturer is investing nearly $5 million in an expansion.
Carpenter Pole and Piling’s project is expected to create 10 new jobs in Wiggins.
The expansion includes a new treatment plant and an additional 20 acres for storage.
Construction is anticipated to be completed by September 2026.

A wood products manufacturer is set to create new jobs as part of a major expansion.

Carpenter Pole and Piling is investing nearly $5 million into its Wiggins, Mississippi, operation.

The expansion will add 10 new positions and support long-term growth in the region.

“Carpenter Pole and Piling is a true Mississippi success story, and we’re proud to see the company continue investing right here at home,” Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said.

“This expansion in Stone County is creating new opportunities for hardworking Mississippians while strengthening a company that has long contributed to our state’s economy,” Reeves said. “When Mississippi businesses grow, our communities grow with them, and we remain committed to fostering a business environment where companies can thrive.”

Carpenter Pole and Piling produces utility poles and pilings for marine and foundation use.

The project includes construction of a new treatment plant, investment in a 2,600-cubic-foot autoclave and an alternative treatment option to improve production capacity.

The company is also clearing and preparing an additional 20 acres for a new pole storage yard.

Stone County is also contributing to the project.

The company expects to complete construction by September 2026.

The new roles are expected to be filled by January 2027.

Carpenter Pole and Piling specializes in the production of utility poles. It also manufactures foundation and marine pilings.

The new autoclave will increase production and add an alternative treatment option.

This story was created by business and development writer Ross Reily, with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the information gathering, review, editing and publishing process. Learn more.

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Mississippi

CBSB: Southern Miss sweeps again, Mississippi State shines in Texas, Ole Miss struggles – SuperTalk Mississippi

Published

13 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

CBSB: Southern Miss sweeps again, Mississippi State shines in Texas, Ole Miss struggles – SuperTalk Mississippi

Southern Miss earned its second consecutive sweep, rounding out a mostly successful weekend of college baseball for Mississippi’s major programs.

The No. 12 Golden Eagles (10-1), fresh off a mercy-rule victory over Alabama, exited a hostile Louisiana Tech environment with three straight wins versus a former conference counterpart. Christian Ostrander’s crew won 8-3 on Friday, cruised to an 11-0 run-rule victory through seven innings on Saturday, and was on the good side of a 6-2 scoreboard in Sunday’s finale.

A three-run bomb by Kyle Morrison in the top of the fourth of Friday’s game put the black and gold up 5-3, and solid pitching carried the team the rest of the way. A six-run top of the fourth of Saturday’s game, in part due to a Matthew Russo 2 RBI single, broke a scoring stalemate and fueled Southern Miss to a win in a shortened matchup. A two-run long ball by Joey Urban in the top of the ninth of Sunday’s battle gave the Golden Eagles a buffer that would not be eclipsed.

Kros Sivley (2-0) was Friday’s winning pitcher after logging a pair of strikeouts in 1.2 innings. Grayden Harris (2-0) got the win on Saturday after fanning five batters and surrendering no runs through six complete innings. Camden Sunstrom (1-0) closed out the finale with the win after striking out two batters and not giving up a hit or a run in the final two frames.

Mississippi State wins two in Texas

The No. 4 Bulldogs (11-1) had a solid weekend in the Amegy Bank College Baseball Series. Brian O’Connor’s club handled the weekend test with an 8-4 win over Arizona State, a 15-8 victory over Virginia Tech, and a heartbreaking 8-7 extra-innings loss to No. 1 UCLA.

Mississippi State broke a scoring hiatus on Friday with a strong bottom of the fifth. A Bryce Chance RBI single scored the game’s first run, then a Gehrig Frei homer put the Bulldogs up 4-0. Three insurance runs were added in the next offensive frame, and Mississippi State did not look back. On Saturday, an Ace Reece longball gave the maroon and white a 4-0 lead in the top of the second. Virginia Tech chipped away, cutting the deficit to two runs, until a five-run top of the seventh put things out of reach.

Sunday’s finale was a battle between two teams vying for bragging rights as the nation’s best. The Bruins took an early 3-0 lead, but Mississippi State quickly countered. A two-run bomb by Reed Stallman and an RBI double by Ryder Woodson knotted things up 3-3 in the bottom of the fourth. The Bulldogs added a run in the bottom of the seventh and eighth innings to lead 5-3.

A two-out home run by UCLA’s Roch Cholowsky tied the ballgame in the top of the ninth. Mississippi State, with runners on second and third and no outs in the bottom of the ninth, could not send a runner home. A wild pitch and a 2 RBI triple scored three Bruins in the top of the 10th. Stallman hit his second home run of the day to inch the Bulldogs within one run of their foe, but it was not followed up with more scoring.

Winning pitchers for Mississippi State this weekend were Ryan McPherson (2-0) and Tomas Valincius (3-0), while Ben Davis (0-1) was tabbed with the lone loss.

Ole Miss struggles in neutral-site tournament

In its first set of tests versus power conference opponents, the Rebels (10-2) struggled mightily, dropping two of three outings in the BRUCE BOLT College Classic. Mike Bianco’s club fell to Baylor 6-5 in extra innings on Friday before bouncing back on Saturday in an 8-0 win over Ohio State and suffering a 9-2 loss to Coastal Carolina in Sunday’s finale. Ole Miss was a combined 0-18 at the plate with runners in scoring position in the two losses.

Though the weekend didn’t play to the Rebels’ advantage, a few individual performers stood out. Murray State transfer Dom Decker, who entered his junior campaign without hitting a home run, hit three balls over the outfield wall at the Houston Astros’ Daikin Park. Hunter Elliott had a career-high 11 strikeouts on Friday, while Cade Townsend and Taylor Rabe collectively fanned 16 batters in Saturday’s shutout.

Next up

Southern Miss will play a pair of home midweek games, the first being against Mississippi State on Tuesday at 6 p.m. and the second versus Nicholls on Wednesday at 6 p.m., before hosting North Alabama over the weekend.

Mississippi State will host Lipscomb over the weekend after facing the Golden Eagles.

Ole Miss will host Memphis on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. and North Alabama on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m., before welcoming Evansville for a weekend series.

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Mississippi State women’s basketball vs LSU, Kim Mulkey score, live updates, start time, TV

Published

1 day ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Mississippi State women’s basketball vs LSU, Kim Mulkey score, live updates, start time, TV

STARKVILLE — Mississippi State women’s basketball is playing its final regular season game against No. 6 LSU at Humphrey Coliseum on March 1 (3 p.m., SEC Network).

The Bulldogs (18-11, 5-10 SEC) enter the game on the NCAA Tournament bubble after losing three consecutive games, so an upset win could secure an at-large bid.

The Tigers (25-4, 11-4) and coach Kim Mulkey have won three straight games. Their only losses of the season are to Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Texas and South Carolina.

The Clarion Ledger is bringing you live updates from the game. Follow along.

Watch Mississippi State vs LSU