Bill Graham / The Meridian StarRachel Canter of Mississippi First listens while Stuart Rockoff from the Mississippi Humanities Council speaks during a panel on public education at the Mississippi Arts + Entertainment Experience in Meridian Thursday evening.  

Community members listened to a group of panelists discuss the state of education in Mississippi in Meridian Thursday night.

The panel spoke about issues affecting public schools during the Future of Public Education in Mississippi event at the Mississippi Arts + Entertainment Experience.

The event, part of a series, was hosted by the Phil Hardin Foundation and the Mississippi Humanities Council. Speakers included Rachel Canter with Mississippi First, Grant Callen with Empower Mississippi and Nancy Loome with The Parents’ Campaign. Stuart Rockoff, executive director of the Mississippi Humanities Council, moderated the discussion. 

The discussion centered on school choice, funding, poverty and other issues. 

Loome said public education in Mississippi is improving, but leaders need to address how poverty affects children.

“If they don’t have the same resources, they won’t have a chance,” Loome said.

Loome said it’s the public’s obligation to make sure children are getting a good education, and that using public money to send kids to private or charter schools harms struggling districts. 

“Public taxes are for the public good, and not for just some individual’s wish list,” Loome said

In his comments, Callen said school choice, charter schools and scholarships are ways to improve the education system.

“Our goal is to have world-class education in Mississippi,” he said. “But until we get there, we ought to give parents who have waited a long time to give their kids options in an educational setting today.” 

Terrence Roberts, literacy director of the Meridian Freedom Project, attended the event so he could understand the issues facing the young people he works with. 

“Public education is the backbone of the community,” Roberts said.

La Frondra Kinney of Meridian attended both public and private schools when she was younger. She said it makes her upset to hear about problems faced by the same Jackson public schools she attended in the late ’70s.

“I’m actually tired of hearing about the public school situation in the state of Mississippi,” said Kinney, adding that one way to improve education is to elect people who support the public school system.

“If we don’t do that, then all the other children are going to lose because their parents can’t afford to send them to private schools,” she said.

A follow-up program on public education in Meridian is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on Oct. 17 at The Max.