Louisiana’s Voucher Program Grows

Louisiana’s taxpayer-funded educational voucher program takes students from Louisiana’s poorest performing schools and gives them vouchers to attend high-performing private and parochial schools. It is designed to impact low-income families who could otherwise not afford to send their children to a private school. Of those chosen for the program, 91 percent are minority students and all have a family income that is less than 250 percent of the federal poverty line.

The voucher program is set to grow from the 5,000 students who participated during the 2012-13 academic year to 8,000 students in 2013-14. Despite the controversy surrounding the program, more than 12,000 applications were submitted by students hoping to receive vouchers for the new year. While that number included 4,000 students already receiving vouchers who want to continue in the program, the increase in the number of applications is still significant.

According to Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, who supports the voucher program, and the Education Superintendent John White, the number of applications is a testament to the program’s success. To receive a voucher, students submit an application to the program and are then selected to attend a school of their choice through a lottery system. More than 117 private schools in Louisiana currently participate in the program.

Parent satisfaction with the voucher program is also high, with 93 percent of parents approving of their children’s school under the voucher program. Organizations such as the Louisiana Black Alliance for Educational Options praise the program for providing parents with more control over their children’s education. Student achievement has also gone up statewide since the program was first introduced in 2008.

With the growth of the program’s popularity, it also faces increased controversy. Those opposed to the state-backed voucher program disagree with the way the program is funded. Judge Timothy Keller agrees, ruling in the State District Court that the way the program is funded violates the constitution. Currently, the funding formula takes funds from the Minimum Foundation Program (MFP), a formula that determines how much per-pupil funding public schools receive.

The MFP is funded by property and sales taxes from local school boards. Families living in high-income areas typically contribute more in property and sales tax than the lower-income areas the voucher program is designed to support. Opponents argue that the funding structure is unconstitutional because the taxes are earmarked for public schools and the voucher program takes funds away from those schools, including those in the high-income areas.

Judge Keller’s decision is currently being appealed through the State Supreme Court and, judging from the number of applications the program continues to receive, it appears to be operating normally. However, if the State Supreme Court upholds Judge Keller’s decision, its operations could come to a screeching halt. It costs approximately $5,300 to send a child to a private or parochial school under the voucher program, and many private and parochial schools in Louisiana, such as Evangel Christian Academy, depend on the voucher program to keep their schools open.

While it is unlikely that the voucher program will cease to exist if Judge Keller’s decision is upheld, it still worries parents and other supporters of the program. As the number of students enrolled in Louisiana’s voucher program increases, the number of students and schools who will be affected by funding problems also increases. According to Michael Griffith, a representative for the Education Commission of the States, the ruling is just a “small fence” in the state’s fight to keep its voucher program going strong. However, Louisiana state officials may have to find new sources of funding to keep the program running.

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