Mississippi

Mississippi is moving toward educational freedom

Published

2 months ago

January 27, 2026

Press Room

Mississippi is moving toward educational freedom

Colleen Hroncich
| Special to the Mississippi Clarion Ledger

The Mississippi House has passed HB2, the Mississippi Education Freedom Act, which would create education savings accounts.
These Magnolia Student Accounts would allow families to use state funds for private school, tutoring, and other educational expenses.
The program would initially be capped at 12,500 accounts, with priority given to lower-income households if applications exceed availability.
Opponents, including teachers unions, argue the program will harm public schools, while supporters say it provides necessary choice.

Will Mississippi be the first state to expand educational freedom in 2026? It’s too early to know, but it’s notable that the state House recently passed HB2, the Mississippi Education Freedom Act, a step in that direction. The centerpiece of the massive bill is an education savings account program called Magnolia Student Accounts, or MSA for short.

By creating these Magnolia Student Accounts, Mississippi would join a growing number of states that recognize parents know their kids better than bureaucrats do, and education funding should follow students to the learning environments where they’ll thrive.

This isn’t a radical concept. We don’t mandate where families shop for groceries or what doctor they visit. Education is too important to be the one service where choice doesn’t matter.

The mechanics of MSAs are straightforward. Instead of locking all education dollars into assigned district schools, the state would deposit funds into accounts that families control. Those funds could pay for private school tuition, tutoring, educational technology, curriculum materials, specialized courses and more.

If HB2 is passed, every student would be eligible to apply for an MSA, but the number of available accounts would be limited. In the first year, there would be a maximum of 12,500 accounts for private school tuition, with half of those reserved for students transferring out of public schools. The cap would automatically increase by 2,500 each year for the first four years. After that, it would automatically increase by 2,500 whenever all accounts are claimed the previous year. If applications exceed available funds, students from lower-income households would receive priority and a lottery would be conducted if needed.

For students using the accounts at participating schools, funding would be based on the state’s base student funding for the applicable school year, currently around $6,800. Students at non-participating schools would receive $2,000 with a family maximum of $4,000. Up to 5,000 homeschoolers could receive $1,000 per family. The program also allows families to carry over unused funds for future educational expenses, which discourages wasteful spending.

As currently drafted, the program respects participating schools’ autonomy. Schools aren’t forced to participate, and those that do aren’t subjected to state curriculum mandates. They can still set their own admissions standards, hire teachers who share their mission and maintain the distinctive programs that make them effective. Religious schools can maintain their faith-based instruction. These protections are critical in encouraging diverse educational options rather than cookie-cutter schools that all look alike.

While adopting MSAs would be a significant step toward more educational freedom for Mississippi families, there are areas for improvement in the proposal. The participation caps mean only around 3% of Mississippi students would be able to participate in the beginning, and the cap increases at a very slow pace. Providing lower funding amounts based on what type of education children receive limits families’ flexibility and complicates program administration, as well.

As is often the case, the teachers union, superintendents’ association and other opponents of school choice are campaigning against the Education Freedom Act, claiming that MSAs will harm public schools. Yet public school funding would only be affected if parents choose other options — which, critically, would not happen if the school is meeting their needs. Keeping kids trapped in schools that aren’t working for them helps no one.

Mississippi’s public schools may be a great fit for many students, but they can’t work for every child. Some students need more personalized environments, different instructional approaches or specialized support that their assigned school can’t provide. When we pretend one-size-fits-all in education, the students who suffer are typically those with the fewest alternatives.

The education landscape is changing. Enrollment in Mississippi district schools has fallen. Many families want options that better fit their children’s needs. Magnolia Student Accounts acknowledge this reality and enable education funding to reflect family choices.

No education system is perfect, and choice programs require careful drafting and implementation. But the old way of doing things — a system where kids are limited by their addresses, struggling students can’t escape schools that aren’t meeting their needs, and innovative approaches can’t get funding — is no longer good enough.

Education works best when families have options and schools have the freedom to meet students where they are. Mississippi is moving decisively in that direction.

— Colleen Hroncich is a policy analyst at the Cato Institute’s Center for Educational Freedom.

Source link

Click to comment

Mississippi

What channel is Mississippi State baseball vs Ole Miss on today? Time, TV schedule to watch college baseball game

Published

7 hours ago

March 27, 2026

Press Room

What channel is Mississippi State baseball vs Ole Miss on today? Time, TV schedule to watch college baseball game

Mississippi State baseball, coming off a sweep of Vanderbilt, travels to Ole Miss for a three-game series, starting on March 27.

The Bulldogs (21-4, 4-2 SEC) swept Vandy last weekend in Starkville to move above .500 in league play after two weeks.

Ole Miss (19-7, 3-3) took two of three games from Kentucky last weekend in Oxford.

Mississippi State and Ole Miss will also play on April 28 in Pearl.

Here’s how you can watch Mississippi State baseball vs Ole Miss:

Mississippi State vs. Ole Miss on March 27 will be televised via streaming on SEC Network+, which is housed on the ESPN app and can be accessed via a SEC Network subscription. If you are subscribed to SEC Network, you can access SEC Network+ online.

Game 1 start time: 6:30 p.m on March 27, SEC Network+
Game 2 start time: 1:30 p.m. on March 28, SEC Network+
Game 3 start time: 3 p.m on March 29, SEC Network

Feb. 13: Hofstra, W 6-5
Feb. 14: Hofstra, W 6-1
Feb. 14: Hofstra, W 7-5
Feb. 17: Troy, W 13-7
Feb. 18: Alcorn State, W 19-0 (7 innings)
Feb. 20: Delaware, W 9-2
Feb. 21: Delaware, W 10-0 (8 innings)
Feb. 22: Delaware, W 7-3
Feb. 24: Austin Peay, W 16-3 (7 innings)
Feb. 27: vs. Arizona State in Arlington, Texas, W 8-4
Feb. 28: vs. Virginia Tech in Arlington, Texas, W 15-8
March 1: vs. UCLA in Arlington, Texas, L 8-7 (10 innings)
March 3: at Southern Miss, L 7-6
March 5: Lipscomb, W 8-3
March 6: Lipscomb, W 9-4
March 7: Lipscomb, W 26-0 (7 innings)
March 10: vs. Tulane in Biloxi, W 11-7
March 13: at Arkansas, L 5-4
March 14: at Arkansas, W 7-2
March 15: at Arkansas, L 7-3
March 17: Jackson State, W 17-1 (7 innings)
March 20: Vanderbilt, W 4-2
March 21: Vanderbilt, W 7-2
March 22: Vanderbilt, W 17-7 (7)
March 24: Southern Miss, W 12-0 (7)
March 27: at Ole Miss, 6:30 p.m on SEC Network+
March 28: at Ole Miss, 1:30 p.m on SEC Network+
March 29: at Ole Miss, 3 p.m on SEC Network
March 31: Grambling
April 2-4: Georgia
April 7: UAB
April 10-12: Tennessee
April 14: at Samford
April 17-19: at South Carolina
April 21: Memphis
April 24-26: LSU
April 28: vs. Ole Miss in Pearl, Miss.
May 1-3: at Texas
May 5: Nicholls
May 7-9: Auburn
May 14-16: at Texas A&M

Source link

Mississippi

Diamond Dawgs Set For Top 20 Showdown In Oxford – Mississippi State

Published

19 hours ago

March 26, 2026

Press Room

Diamond Dawgs Set For Top 20 Showdown In Oxford – Mississippi State

OXFORD – No. 6 Mississippi State carries momentum and confidence into one of college baseball’s fiercest rivalries this weekend, traveling to face No. 18 Ole Miss in a three-game Southeastern Conference series at Swayze Field.

The Diamond Dawgs arrive in Oxford riding a five-game winning streak and carrying plenty of momentum into one of the league’s premier matchups. MSU sits at 21-4 overall and 4-2 in conference play, while the Rebels enter at 19-6 and 3-3 in the SEC.

Mississippi State has been one of the most complete teams in the country through the first half of the season. The Bulldogs are hitting .347 as a team with a .452 on-base percentage and 39 home runs, consistently putting pressure on opposing pitching staffs. Ole Miss counters with plenty of power of its own, already launching 46 homers while posting a .500 slugging percentage.

The engine for State’s offense has been graduate outfielder Bryce Chance, who leads the SEC with a .452 batting average and has struck out just three times all season. All-American infielder Ace Reese continues to anchor the middle of the lineup with a team-high seven home runs and 34 RBIs, while Noah Sullivan and Aidan Teel provide consistent production around them to give the Diamond Dawgs one of the deepest lineups in the league.

Mississippi State will lean on its weekend rotation that has begun to separate itself as a strength. Left-hander Charlie Foster is expected to get the ball in Friday’s opener. The Bulldogs will then turn to sophomore standout Tomas Valincius on Saturday. The southpaw has been dominant, going 5-0 with a 1.04 ERA and 47 strikeouts, highlighted by a 14-strikeout performance in his last outing. Right-hander Duke Stone is slated for Sunday and brings a 4-0 record with him into the series.

Ole Miss is expected to counter with left-hander Hunter Elliott in the opener, a veteran arm with a 3-0 record and 44 strikeouts, followed by right-hander Hudson Calhoun on Saturday. The Rebels have yet to announce a starter for the series finale. As a staff, Ole Miss owns a 3.56 ERA with 293 strikeouts, setting up a matchup between two pitching groups capable of missing bats at a high level.

While the Bulldogs have dominated at home — winning 19 straight games at Dudy Noble Field dating back to last season — this weekend presents another opportunity for State to prove itself away from Starkville. MSU is 1-3 in true road games this year but has shown the ability to compete against elite competition throughout the early part of the schedule.

The rivalry history leans in Mississippi State’s favor, with the Bulldogs holding a 268-213-5 advantage in the all-time series. State has also won two straight meetings between the programs, adding another layer of confidence heading into the weekend.

Visit www.HailState.com for the latest news and information on the baseball program. Fans can also follow the program on social media by searching ‘HailStateBB’ on X, Facebook and Instagram.Top of Form

Source link

Mississippi

MS turkey hunter who thought hunt was ruined bags bird of a lifetime

Published

1 day ago

March 26, 2026

Press Room

MS turkey hunter who thought hunt was ruined bags bird of a lifetime

‘I would call him a hybrid between a smoke phase and a red phase. He’s not a true smoke phase because of all the red in him.’

A Mississippi hunter bagged a rare, reddish-colored turkey after a frustrating start to his hunting season.
The turkey’s unique coloration is described as a hybrid between a smoke phase and a red phase.
According to a wildlife official, this genetic mutation is exceedingly rare, especially in male turkeys.

A Mississippi turkey hunter’s season wasn’t off to a good start, but with a change in plans, a little scouting, some luck thrown in, he bagged a rare reddish-colored turkey and it’s considered a bird of a lifetime.

“I’d been hunting the same bird since opening day,” said Barrett Clark of Strong, which is located near West Point. “He finally frustrated me enough to where I just needed to go look for another bird.”

Clark wasn’t able to connect with the gobbler he was after. So, on Friday, March 20, he decided to check another property. He located a few gobblers that afternoon, but one looked different. It appeared to have a lighter color than normal, but Clark figured it was just the way the sunlight was hitting the bird.

The following morning, Clark and his father, Larry Clark, returned to the area in hopes of getting a shot at one of the birds.

A turkey hunt that was almost ruined

“We met and went in early Saturday morning,” Clark said. “We were probably 300 yards away from him when he started gobbling. It was right at sunrise. He was gobbling off the roost.”

The gobbler flew off the roost and continued to gobble. Clark said he lightly called the bird. Then, a gunshot rang out from a nearby property and the gobbling stopped. To make matters worse, minutes later a coyote appeared and it looked like he was after the turkey that had been gobbling.

“That coyote came within 15 feet of my dad and ran straight to where the turkey had been gobbling,” Clark said. “We thought our hunt was boogered up.”

MS hunter shoots turkey with strange colors

The hunt wasn’t over, though. About 10 or 15 minutes later the gobbling resumed and Clark lightly called back. A little later, Clark saw a turkey through the trees in the neighborhood of 100 yards away.

“I was really just seeing his head move,” Clark said. “I would see his fan occasionally, but it was mostly just his head. I could tell he was lighter, but I really wasn’t focused on that. I was trying to stay still and make a good shot.”

Clark said he was hunting in pines that were maybe 10 years old, and the understory was thick. The bird came within 50 yards of him, but there was no shot. The bird began to walk away but stepped into an opening, and Clark pulled the trigger of his 20-gauge shotgun.

Clark still didn’t understand what he’d shot. He said it was only when he and his father got closer that they realized how unusual it was.

“We could tell it was something that neither of us had ever seen,” Clark said.

What is it, and how rare is this turkey?

The bird is a light rust or cinnamon color and lacks any normal coloration, but putting a label on it isn’t easy.

“I would call him a hybrid between a smoke phase and a red phase,” said Caleb Hinton, Wild Turkey Program coordinator for the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks. “He’s not a true smoke phase because of all the red in him.”

Hinton couldn’t put a number on it, but he said a genetic trait like this is very rare.

“Like all the genetic mutations, it’s exceedingly rare in the wild,” Hinton said.

And for a gobbler to express such a genetic trait is even more rare. Hinton said that upwards of 95% of the turkeys that express such traits will be hens, not gobblers.

“It’s just a once-in-a-lifetime trophy for the hunter,” Hinton said.

A lifelong outdoorsman and wildlife enthusiast, Brian Broom has been writing about hunting, fishing and Mississippi’s outdoors for the Clarion Ledger for more than 14 years. He can be reached at 601-961-7225 or bbroom@gannett.com.

Source link