Mississippi News Nonprofit Parents, children, and policymakers gathered in Jackson Tuesday morning to support programs parents use to send their kids to charter or private schools with public funds. The event was held on the steps at the Mississippi State Capitol to celebrate “National School Choice Week.” House and Senate leaders admitted that there had been inconsistent enforcement of a state policy regarding rallies inside the building. On Tuesday, students and adults gathered around the Capitol Rotunda instead of gathering in the yellow scarves. They then spread out on the Capitol lawn to watch the Prancing J-Settes from Jackson State University dance to the music of a nearby DJ. The speakers focused on familiar themes and argued that “school choice” allows parents to choose the best educational setting for their children. Philip Gunn stated that the government does not know what is best for every child. “We believe parents should have the option to choose what is best for their child.” The state Legislature passed several laws in recent years that expanded “school choice” access. In Clarksdale and Jackson, there are now five charter schools. Three more schools were approved last fall to open. Mississippi charter schools are managed by non-profit organizations, which appoint a school board. The Charter School Authorizer Board approves and supervises the schools. The state provides funding for charter schools on a per pupil basis. The school district in which the charter is located must also send the funds. According to a spokesperson for the district, more than $8.7million has been paid by the Jackson Public Schools District to charter schools since the opening of the Jackson charter school. Tarsha Manning, a gifted education teacher and parent, said that she brought Chance, her 11-year-old son, to the event as she supports “school choice.” She feels her son is more connected socially at Midtown Public Charter School, Jackson. He also receives smaller group instruction. Manning was unsure if Manning agreed that parents should decide what is best for their children in education. Manning stated, “As a teacher, I don’t always agree that because some schools are thriving and meeting children’s needs, but some don’t always and many parents really don’t know.” “I believe there needs to be more education and more avenues to give an outlook on school choice,” Manning said. In 2015, legislators passed the “Equal Opportunity for Students with Special Needs Act,” which allowed students with special needs to receive $6,000. Each year, they can attend nonpublic schools. Grant Callen, president Empower Mississippi, an advocacy group that played a major role in creating the program, stated, “School choice is too often limited to those who can afford it. That is unacceptable.” “All children deserve a wonderful education. Not just those who are born in the right zip codes,” a recently released legislative report shows. While parents are happy with the program, many private schools lack the staff to support students with special needs. More oversight is needed to ensure the program runs smoothly. Since the program’s inception, the Mississippi Department of Education has given $9 million to the Education Scholarship Account. About $4.8 million was distributed to parents and service providers. The remaining $310,000 was used for program administration. According to the legislative report, the remaining funds were returned to state treasury. The legislative report states that Carolyn Crawford, R-Pass Christian was a strong advocate of the program and she hopes the Legislature will take note of families’ interests. Crawford stated that the program has been in place for three years and is still going strong. “We have some tweaking to do. But with any new program, you need to make changes to see what is working and what isn’t.”