As state House leaders press for overhauling the state’s education system through privatization, the Senate Education Committee over Thursday and Friday heard a decade-long list of Mississippi public schools’ academic achievements.

State Superintendent Lance Evans and his executive team made a case at the hearings for their $3.38 billion appropriation request from the Legislature this coming year, while senators subtly signaled their support for the state’s public education system. It could foreshadow a fight between the House and Senate in the 2026 legislative session, as the House leadership makes a full-court press for expanding “school choice” and using public money for private education options.

Over the course of two days, Wendy Clemons, the Mississippi Department of Education’s ch

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