HB1613, the Mississippi Department of Education appropriations bill, gives an additional $117 million in funding for K-12 public schools during Fiscal Year 2024.
The House passed HB1613 on March 31, 2023, by a vote of 115 to 2. We have assigned pluses to the nays because education is not the role of government. A child’s education is the responsibility of—and a fundamental right of choice retained by—his or her parents. Forcing the citizens of Mississippi to furnish taxpayer money to expand a compulsory, failing, and government-run K-12 school system violates their individual liberties guaranteed by the Bill of Rights.