House Speaker Jason White continues to champion school choice at the state Capitol, but some of his constituents aren’t so sure about the policies.

The Kosciusko Board of Aldermen adopted an anti-school choice resolution on Tuesday night, breaking from their representative and the set of proposals that White, a Republican, is aggressively pushing. Kosciusko, 70 miles north of Jackson, is the largest city in White’s district, which encompasses parts of Attala, Carroll, Holmes and Leake counties, and it’s where his law office is located. 

Kosciusko joins a handful of cities that have publicly denounced school choice policies, which fund educational opportunities outside of traditional public schools, often with state money. The boards’ actions could signal a lack of support among everyday Mississippians, while powerful state lawmakers like White continue their years-long, full-court press for school choice, backed by billionaire-funded national conservative organizations and the Trump administration. Proponents of school choice say there is also a grassroots movement driven by parents that have buoyed their cause.

Taylor Spillman, a spokesperson for White, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the resolution. 

The resolution calls the local public school system — graded an “A” for three years straight by the Mississippi Department of Education — the “lifeblood” of the community and urges the Kosciusko legislative delegation to oppose school choice policies. The statement defines education savings accounts, vouchers and tax-credit programs — which all direct taxpayer money to private or homeschool education — as school choice policies. 

When reached by Mississippi Today, Kosciusko Mayor Tim Kyle noted that open enrollment policies that loosen regulations around public school transfers would also divert funds from the local school district. 

Henry Daniel, a Democrat who represents Ward 2 on the Kosciusko board, said he voted for the local resolution because he doesn’t think private schools should receive taxpayer funds if they don’t adhere to the same admission and testing standards as public schools, which have to admit and serve all students regardless of background or ability. 

Last month, Barrett Donahoe, executive director of the Mid-South Association of Independent Schools, told lawmakers that private schools his organization represents were not willing to support school choice unless the dollars came with no strings attached. 

“We’ve got a good school system here,” Daniel said. “Even though Jason is our representative … you have to put that to the side and see what’s best for the kids and the community.”

Dr. Tim Alford co-authored the resolution, which he modeled after one passed by the Clinton Board of Aldermen, and brought it before the Kosciusko board on Tuesday. All three of his children were educated in the public school district. The experience taught them how to get along with people of all backgrounds, Alford said.

“My thought is that a lot of these folks, they feel like some of the public school communities are beyond saving, and the alternative is just to retreat into the private world, which is in large part segregated,” he said. “The public school world … has some good things going on. To me, that’s where we ought to be concentrating our efforts and energies.”

When white Mississippians left the Delta amid school desegregation, Alford witnessed the devastation that flight wrought on his hometown of Greenwood. He said he’s afraid school choice policies will spur similar results in Kosciusko — and he said he’s already seeing seeds of that outcome. 

“To be honest, I think the white flight tendency is happening in Kosciusko now,” he said. “There are private school options that are available immediately in the community and some several miles down the road that parents are choosing. We don’t have the balance of race that we used to have. I’m afraid to say that I think that is part of what is driving this.”

White, who lives in West, sent his children to private schools in Winona and Madison. His public school district, Holmes County Consolidated School District, has historically struggled academically and is currently under state control.

Alford acknowledged that White has been “very helpful” to Kosciusko and said they both want to improve educational opportunities for all Mississippians.

“I hate to run up against Rep. White because I think he has the best intentions,” Alford said. “But he and I disagree on how to get there.”

Kyle, the mayor, said while he understands and supports parents’ desires to have more choices regarding their child’s education, he doesn’t think that should come at the expense of the public school district. He believes the board’s vote represents the majority of Kosciuskians.

Kyle said Kosciuskians’ opposition is at least partially driven by a fear of the unknown — legislators are drafting an omnibus education bill that would expand school choice in Mississippi, though it’s unclear what specific policies will make it into the legislation.

Some House Republicans support sending money to private schools through vouchers, while others want to keep school choice reforms limited to making it easier for students to transfer between public schools.

School choice policies in other states have resulted in higher private school tuition, skyrocketing education costs and worse academic outcomes. 

“As your schools go, so does your community,” Kyle said. “We don’t want that to happen. That’s the message our community wanted to send.”

11/5/2025: This story has been updated to show that Jason White sent his children to private schools in Winona and Madison.