Mississippi Senate votes not to confirm Robert Taylor as state superintendent of education

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - The Mississippi Senate has chosen not to confirm Dr. Robert Taylor as state superintendent of education.

The final vote was 31-21. The nomination is being held on a motion to reconsider by Senator Juan Barnett.

In a statement by Lt. Governor Delbert Hosemann, he said that there were “legitimate concerns” about whether Taylor was the right person for the job.

“With a position as important as the person overseeing the education of our children, Senators should vote their conscience and confirmation should not be taken lightly,” he added.

Taylor’s career in education has spanned more than three decades and he served as the former deputy state superintendent for the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.

He is a native of Laurel, Mississippi, and is a University of Southern Mississippi graduate.

The State Board of Education conducted a six-month, national search before voting unanimously in November of 2022 to hire Taylor to serve as the state’s top public education official.

Taylor was selected through a competitive process from among 26 applicants from 15 states.

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