A bill that would allow some Mississippi parents to use taxpayer money to pay for private school does not have the support to pass this session, House leaders said Wednesday.  

The early demise of one of Republican House Speaker Jason White’s top policy priorities came after proponents and opponents battled to sway lawmakers. As outside forces lobbied lawmakers, they were themselves engaged in closed-door jockeying. In a private House Republican caucus meeting on Tuesday, White discovered the GOP majority could not reach an agreement.

“You probably won’t see us take up that bill,” White said on Wednesday. “We don’t have a consensus.”

House Education Chairman Rob Roberson’s legislation, House Bill 1433, would have allowed students who were enrolled in a district rated D or F within the past five years to use the state portion of their base student cost — money that would normally go to their local public school — and use it to pay for private school tuition. Students could only use the money at a private school if there were not an A- or B-rated district willing to accept them within 30 miles of their home.

Proponents of the legislation said it would give parents greater autonomy to customize their children’s education. White touted the proposal as a key component in a package of education bills that align with President Donald Trump’s executive order promoting “school choice.”

“School choice, whether anybody in this circle or this Capitol likes it, is coming,” White said. “You have a president who was elected with a national mandate who has made it one of his top priorities. You have a ruby red state in Mississippi who voted overwhelmingly for President Trump.”

The bill also prompted consternation among opponents, who argued the proposed law was unconstitutional and could undermine public schools serving some of the state’s neediest students. The legislation also does not cover transportation costs for students who wish to transfer to schools outside their home district, an omission that Democrats said would limit opportunities for poor families.

But ideological and practical disagreements among House Republicans ultimately sank the bill. Some Republicans felt it didn’t go far enough and wanted universal school choice. Others wanted to start with a pilot program. And there was a cloud of uncertainty around the Trump administration, which has floated eliminating the U.S. Department of Education and making drastic spending cuts.

READ MORE: Sending taxpayer money to private schools advances in Mississippi House

“So we’re all over the place in exactly what it looks like, and it was tough to find consensus on that,” White said. “It seemed like not finding a consensus and then a president who said the federal government is fixing to get involved in this in the way that we send federal money to states, it was probably good for us to hit the pause button and figure out what looks like.”

The bill passed out of the House Education Committee on a voice vote last week after Roberson denied Democrats’ request for a roll call where each member’s vote could be recorded.

In conversations with committee members, three Republicans told Mississippi Today they would have voted no. Five Republicans declined to reveal how they would have voted and two Republicans said they favored advancing the bill out of committee but were unsure how they would have voted had the bill come before the full House. All the Democrats on the committee reached by Mississippi Today said they opposed the bill.

Rep. Dana McLean, a Republican from Columbus, walked out of the committee meeting when the bill came up for debate. McLean declined to comment on how she would have voted on the measure and walked away from reporters when pressed for more specifics. McLean will likely have to run in a special election this year because of redistricting.

Opponents said it was clear the bill did not have the votes to advance out of committee, so Roberson advanced the measure on a voice vote with uncertain results. White — who pointed out that voice votes are common practice under the Legislature’s procedures — also acknowledged that members might have wanted to spare themselves from taking a tough vote.

“This won’t surprise you, but some members don’t want to be on the roll call in committee, on both sides of the aisle,” White said.

According to multiple House members, White asked Republican House members to simply advance the measure out of the Committee, but he did not suggest it would pass the full House chamber on the floor.

READ MORE: House passes bill to make switching public K-12 school districts easier

As those discussions between lawmakers were taking place in private, public school advocates waged a furious campaign to scuttle the bill ahead of a Thursday legislative deadline.

Mississippi Professional Educators, the state’s largest teachers union, warned in an email to supporters that pro-school choice lobbyists were polling House members over the weekend on whether they supported House Bill 1433.

They also said the legislation would open the door to a wider-reaching policy in the future that would allow all public school students in the state to use taxpayer money for private schools, not just those who attend D or F rated schools.

“If HB 1433 should make it through the legislative process and be passed into law, it opens the door for universal school choice and vouchers in our state,” wrote Kelly Riley, the union’s executive director.

White confirmed on Wednesday that some Republican House members support such a policy.

The school choice push has been intertwined with debates over race and class in education. Those against school choice say the policies could effectively re-segregate schools. School choice supporters say some high-performing school districts fight school choice measures to avoid accepting students from poor and minority backgrounds.

White said school choice measures — which also include making it easier for students to transfer between public schools and attend charter schools — improve competition and student outcomes.

Even as House Bill 1433 appeared dead, the House passed another bill that would increase the number of charter schools in the state. The bill would allow charter schools to open in an additional 31-35 districts, which Democrats said would further starve existing public schools of resources.

It is not clear whether that bill has enough support to pass the Senate, where school choice measures have been a tougher sell.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

Charles Huff left the Sun Belt championship Marshall football program to take over the job at Southern Miss, which finished last. He talks about the difficult task ahead of him in his Crooked Letter debut. Also, the Clevelands discuss the Super Bowl, college basketball and the upcoming weekend of college baseball.

Stream all episodes here.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

This essay is part of an ongoing Mississippi Today Ideas series showcasing first-person perspectives of former Mississippi governors. We asked them to write about their successes while in office and perhaps what they wished had gone a little differently during their tenure.

Reflecting on the years I wore the title of governor, I’m struck by more than what was accomplished. Who contributed to getting it done mattered, too.

Sure, my name was on the ballot. I took the oath of office, swearing to faithfully support the constitutions of this country and this state, to obey the laws of both and discharge the duties of the office.

Only days before taking that oath, I called the state Senate to order as the outgoing lieutenant governor while the House of Representatives took an historic vote to uphold the popular vote from November 1999, in essence, “electing” me to the office of governor. A now repealed archaic and racist provision of the state Constitution required the House to select the governor if no candidate obtained a majority of the popular vote and won a majority of the 122 House districts.

Waiting in the wings as the House voted were a small number of individuals committed to working the many hours it would take over the next seven days to get ready for my inauguration. This was not something I could do alone.

I think about Melody Maxey who headed a team to put together the inauguration itself. They designed and delivered everything associated with the day’s events from early morning gatherings to the swearing in to the grand ball that evening.

Intentionally, we celebrated more than my win. We celebrated who we are as Mississippians, our contributions to this country and the world. We celebrated what it could mean to improve the quality of life for every single person who would call Mississippi home for generations to come.

Donna (Addkison) Simmons headed a separate team tasked with creating a smooth transition into the office – making sure the necessary staff and the most necessary “cabinet level” officials were in place and the outline of a legislative agenda for a session already underway had been built.

This team ensured that the fledgling staff, the newly appointed department heads, and I would know where the previous governor and staff paused office operations, what was most pressing by department and where my/our attention needed to be focused during the early days of the administration. In addition we needed to handle a variety of tasks and challenges as they arose moment by moment.

In short we had seven days, not the customary 60, to transition into office, to produce an inauguration worthy of the office and the people of this state and to come up to speed on the innumerable things necessary for discharging the duties of the office.

None of which I could do alone.

Add to that making good on my commitments to creating greater public access to me and to the staff, expanding economic opportunity and financial sustainability, opening up health insurance coverage to as many children as possible and moving Mississippi’s public schools to new heights through internet access, technology in the classroom and modernizing facilities while lifting teachers up as professionals deserving of professional compensation.

Again, not something I could do alone.

Qualified individuals, possessing the courage and commitment to doing their best in service to their neighbors from the Gulf Coast to the Tennessee border, had to say yes.

Yes to serving on the 7-day transition team or the seemingly impossible inaugural team.

Yes to working on the governor’s staff.

Yes to heading major departments with life-impacting responsibilities.

Yes to accepting appointments to various boards and commissions, many with terms that would last well beyond my time in office.

Real live human beings with names, faces and families they love and who love them are the “bureaucrats” and “politicos” who said yes. Real people made real sacrifices pulling off an historic seven-day transition, serving a limited number of years leading a department or as a board/commission members or dedicating their entire careers to providing necessary and often overlooked public services.

In 2000 and beyond, men and women from across the state embraced the vision of a better day, one made possible through “Unprecedented Goals” and the realization of “Unparalleled Progress.” As a team, we brought this vision into being.

Who were a few of these courageous and dedicated men and women?

• Armerita Tell and Michael Bentley reimagining one-on-one service to Mississippians and outreach statewide.
• Michael Boyd and Kelly Riley making recommendations after digging into the details of policy topics, finding best practices and exploring other states’ experiences.
• Peyton Prospere providing legal counsel and going beyond to share his expertise in so many areas.
• David Huggins leading the state’s public safety efforts along with L.M. Claiborne, the first African-American colonel of the Mississippi Highway Patrol.
• Robert Latham expanding our ability to alert residents to hazardous weather and to respond in the aftermath.
• James Lipscomb III leading Mississippi’s National Guard offering the leadership necessary to grow the ranks of Guard members.
• Marilyn Starks bringing her Corrections experience to the State Parole Board.
• Virginia Newton serving with integrity a 12-year term on the IHL Board.
• Len Blackwell chairing the Gaming Commission.
• Toni Cooley representing the First Supreme Court District on the board of the Mississippi Home Corporation.
• Every Mississippian who said yes to serving on the State Flag Advisory Commission or the Computer Technology Task Force.

I’m told it’s dangerous to start listing individuals, knowing that all can’t be named and might be offended by the omission. I hope those not named here will forgive me, knowing their service and contributions are in no way diminished.

It’s important to be aware of some so perhaps we can better appreciate the simple reality of a government that is of the people, by the people and for the people.

One person (singular) may wear the title of an office, but people (plural) work together in service to the whole of the state or nation.

I honored my own commitment to build a staff and a cabinet of talented individuals who were themselves a reflection of the state and the people more broadly. Together, we expanded that commitment to truly reflecting the state, regionally and demographically, through hundreds of appointments of highly qualified individuals to boards and commissions.

After all, it is people (plural) who make, interpret and carry out policy. Only people (plural) dedicated to something bigger than themselves can truly breathe life into slogans like “Unprecedented Goals, Unparalleled Progress.”

Only people working together, with a shared interest in what can make positive differences for the greatest number of people, can deliver on promises of more and better employment opportunities, higher quality schools in every community, safe water to drink and roads to travel.

We may disagree on matters of policy and policy preferences may change over time. Even so, I remain convinced that the group of individuals who came together as a team during my term in office made a difference. Their presence mattered. Their work mattered then and now.

Who a leader surrounds himself with makes all the difference, now and for generations to come.

Ronnie Musgrove served as governor from 2000 until 2004. Before then, he served as lieutenant governor and as a member of the state Senate. A Panola County native, Musgrove lives in Oxford with his 9-year-old son. He also practices law and is involved in various other business ventures. Musgrove also has three grown children.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.