Jindal Signs Charter School Expansion Bill in Louisiana

HB 976′s school choice voucher plan has been signed into law by Louisiana’s Bobby Jindal, meaning that over half of the state’s students are now eligible.

Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal has signed into law an expansion of the state’s school voucher program. The vouchers will allow parents to use government funding for their choice of private school tuition. The increasingly popular conceptual program was an idea pioneered by Milton Friedman in 1955 and has gained traction since its 1990 introduction in Milwaukee and the increasing realization that the current school system has failed so alternatives must be trialed. Now, 18 states provide some degree of private school choice either through voucher programs or the tax code. Last year Indiana made more than half its student population eligible for a similar program and Louisiana has now joined them.

In Louisiana, vouchers have been available since 2008, but only to New Orleans children and students with special needs in eligible parishes. In the 2012-13 school year, the Student Scholarships for Educational Excellence Program will allow low- and middle-income students statewide to receive vouchers if they are enrolled in public schools graded “C,” “D,” or “F” by Louisiana’s accountability system.

Robert Enlow, president and CEO of the Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice is enthusiastic that states throughout the country are starting to realize that school choice works:

“Through the growth we saw in 2011 and the momentum we’re witnessing in 2012, our country is moving closer to Milton Friedman’s vision of school choice for all families,” Enlow added. “Through universally available vouchers, we fundamentally can change the way public education works, from a system that supports schools to a model that empowers students and parents.”

This success for Governor Jindal is only part of his planned slate of education reforms, but the signing into law of HB976 is a major step forward. Still remaining are HB 974 which will address the problems of teacher tenure and HB 933 which will introduce standards for early childhood education.

The Louisiana Federation of Teachers is likely to remain vehemently opposed to all of Jindal’s proposed reforms.

Comments

Linda Brees

April 19, 2012 at 5:27 pm

Checks and balances are for the birds, I guess.

Reply
Joe

April 19, 2012 at 5:28 pm

Clearly the voters, who keep putting one party into office, doesn’t care as much about checks and balances as the “intellectuals” tsking at them.

Reply
Mike

April 19, 2012 at 6:58 pm

Thus assuring LA stays at the bottom of the education ladder.

Reply
Lulu

April 20, 2012 at 7:45 am

Right, Because the old system was so effective.

Reply
bill

April 20, 2012 at 4:22 pm

LA is about to rise to the top from the bottom and become the “silicon valley” of education. Let’s hope that every state where the school system has proven itself incompetent follows Jindal’s lead – otherwise, our kids will be the first generation of Americans to do les well than their parents, as we become unable to compete at all with the globally MUCH BETTER educated kids. It’s educate or incarcerate – Jindal is showing he’s for the kids, not the adults – and that’s the choice you have – you can’t be for both in the current system.

Reply
Will Romney’s VP Pick be Education Focused? - Get Online Business Degree - Online Business Degree

May 8, 2012 at 4:30 pm

[...] Bobby Jindal has recently signed into law a charter school expansion bill that makes half of Louisiana’s [...]

Reply
Will Romney’s VP Pick be Education Focused? | MyDegreeChoices News

May 9, 2012 at 9:56 am

[...] Bobby Jindal has recently signed into law a charter school expansion bill that makes half of Louisiana’s [...]

Reply
MyDegreeChoices News Louisiana Vouchers Mean More Public Money to Private Schools | MyDegreeChoices News

June 6, 2012 at 12:25 am

[...] recent expansion of Louisiana’s voucher program means that the administration of Governor Bobby Jindal will preside over the largest experiment of [...]

Reply