Iron Sharpens Iron!

By: Joshua L. Yeager

In Mississippi, the conversation around school choice is gaining momentum — and rightly so. At its heart, school choice is about families having the right to select the best educational fit for their children. But for those of us who believe in productive leadership — leadership that welcomes the challenge, that thrives under pressure — school choice is more than just a policy debate. It is an opportunity. An opportunity to sharpen iron with iron. An opportunity to leave systemic education in the past and move toward authentic, student-centered learning. In short: Bring it on.

Current Legislative Update

In early 2025, Mississippi lawmakers introduced bills aiming to expand school choice options statewide. Proposals included educational savings accounts (ESAs), allowing parents to use state funds for private school tuition, homeschooling costs, or approved alternative programs. Charters and magnet schools are also gaining traction, particularly in rural and underserved communities.

The funding model under discussion proposes that public funds would follow the student, meaning if a child left a traditional public school for a private option, the state portion of funding would move with them. Legislators argue this gives parents more control and promotes competition among schools, ideally raising the bar across the board.

The Funding Catch: Keep Local Dollars Local

While the spirit of these efforts is commendable, a critical distinction must be made: Local tax dollars must stay with the local public school system.
State per-pupil funding may shift under school choice models, but locally obligated funds — derived from property taxes and other community-driven sources — should remain with the school system that serves the community, regardless of parental choices.

Why? Because public schools are foundational institutions. They maintain facilities, support community programs, and often serve as emergency centers in times of crisis. Undermining their basic operational funding would cripple the very communities we aim to uplift.

School choice must be implemented without robbing local districts of the resources needed to maintain excellence and equity.

Accountability: No Free Passes

With new opportunities must come new responsibilities. Any school receiving public funds — whether public, private, or charter — must be held to the same accountability standards.
Transparent reporting, academic performance measures, financial stewardship, and compliance with educational best practices should be non-negotiable.
Level the playing field. If public schools are to be compared with alternative models, then all must compete under the same lights.

Leadership at the Heart of School Choice

Here’s where dangerous leadership steps up.

If school choice becomes a reality in Mississippi, it will separate true leaders from seat-warmers. It will force superintendents, principals, and district leaders to stop hiding behind systemic traditions and instead, become entrepreneurs of education. We will no longer be managers of systems; we will be architects of opportunity.

Leaders must “sell” their schools — not with gimmicks or smoke and mirrors, but through authentic results:

• Real relationships with students and families
• Relevant, high-quality Tier 1 instruction
• Career and college readiness pathways
• Innovation and personalization, not one-size-fits-all

This is what I call dangerous leadership — leadership that doesn’t fear competition but embraces it. Leadership that says, “If you want school choice, that’s fine — we’re ready. Watch what we do when we’re pushed to our full potential.”

The coming era could mark the beginning of a movement away from systemic education toward a more authentic, applicable, locally-driven model.
It is a chance for leaders at every level to prove the worth of public education — not by defending the status quo, but by outperforming, outthinking, and outloving every alternative on the table.

Conclusion: Iron Sharpens Iron

School choice in Mississippi, if done right, won’t destroy public education. It will forge it stronger.
Like iron sharpening iron, the competition will make us better.
The dangerous leaders — those who welcome the challenge, those who dare to innovate — will rise.

So let’s not fear school choice. Let’s embrace it with grit, grace, and relentless excellence.
Bring it on.

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