Senate Won’t Debate Bill To Spend More On Private Schools

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) – A proposal to spend more of Mississippi’s public money to send children to private schools appears dead in the Legislature.

Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves says he won’t ask the Senate to move forward with debate on Senate Bill 2623 because he believes the bill won’t pass the House.

It’s unclear how much support the measure had in the Senate.

Supporters said parents should be able to use public money to send their children to a school of their choice.

The measure would have prioritized use of the money by students with disabilities, but also allowed students without disabilities to attend, prioritizing those from lower- and middle-income families.

Public school advocates opposed the bill, saying it would have drained money from public schools and sent children to unaccountable private schools.

(Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)