Dive Brief:

• Lawmakers in Mississippi could rewrite the state’s education funding formula during the 2017 legislative session, moving to a model that allocates a base student cost and assigns extra money to address students’ at-risk components.
• The Clarion-Ledger reports top Republicans, including Gov. Phil Bryant, support the formula idea, which could mean this is the session during which it finally gets an overhaul.
• The legislature could also incentivize districts to have a greater focus on early childhood education through funding, and it is expected to continue consolidating districts — and school choice advocates hope it will allocate more money to help families leave failing schools.

Dive Insight:

The 2017 legislative session will reflect greater Republican control in state governments. The November election brought four more states under Republican control of all three branches of state government, meaning they have this “trifecta” in 24 states. Democrats have the same in six.

Improving the education system is generally considered a bipartisan goal, but Democrats and Republicans have different strategies for achieving it. School choice measures, including vouchers, are more often pushed by Republicans. With President-elect Donald Trump encouraging voucher programs, this is one area that could see growth in the next few years.