By Shad White

State Auditor

Mississippi’s chronic absenteeism in K-12 schools is surging at a rate higher than any of our bordering states. My office recently found that our school districts had a 14% average chronic absentee rate in 2019, but by 2023 that number soared to 24.7%—much higher than any of our neighboring states. This should alarm every Mississippi taxpayer—whether you have children in school or not—and I will tell you why.

First, making sure our public schools are able to provide a good education to our Mississippi students is one of the most important issues our state faces. I’m the product of public schools, the son of a retired public-school teacher, and a father whose oldest child recently began kindergarten, so this is a very personal issue to me.

For that reason, my office recently released a report on what we believe to be one of the biggest problems in our K-12 education system: chronic absenteeism.

Nearly 1-in-4 Mississippi K-12 students missed at least 18 days of class last year. As your State Auditor, I look at every issue through the lens of what will be helpful or harmful to taxpayers. My team found that students who remain chronically absent have an increased likelihood of dropping out of school. This, in turn means they’re more likely to rely on welfare or to be incarcerated when they get older.

The bottom line: the kids who were chronically absent in Mississippi in 2023 alone will cost taxpayers a staggering $550 million over the course of their lives.

Mississippi needs to get serious about this problem and fast. If we simply return to our 2019 chronic absenteeism rate then it would mean 40,000 more children attending school regularly and save taxpayers millions on incarceration and social services.

My office proposed a few different reforms the state could implement to help get our chronic absenteeism rate under control. One proposal we have is very simple: if you don’t come to class, you don’t get a driver’s license. Some states like Alabama and Tennessee already have attendance-based requirements for minors to be eligible for driver’s licenses.

Another proposal would be for Mississippi to expand the military program JROTC in our high schools. Studies show that students who participate in JROTC are more likely to attend school than their non-JROTC peers. Additionally, JROTC participants are more likely to finish high school and less likely to face disciplinary actions.

As your State Auditor, it’s my duty to inform the taxpayers of the biggest costs in government. In the coming years, our absenteeism rate is going to produce a big bill for Mississippi taxpayers and a generation of students will suffer as a consequence unless we get serious about this issue. We pump a ton of taxpayer money into our K-12 school system, but it does no good if the students’ tails aren’t in the seats. As long as I’m your State Auditor, I’ll continue bringing attention to issues like this so we can work to make Mississippi the best place in the country to raise a family.

Shad White is the 42^nd State Auditor of Mississippi