Educators have been up in arms against La. Gov. Bobby Jindal’s voucher program since day one. They’re now going as far as bringing the legislation to court.
A court case concerning Louisiana’s K-12 schools’ state-funded voucher program began Wednesday, and District Judge Tim Kelley expects it to last until Friday.
The case will determine whether funding private schools with taxpayer dollars is legal, and the ruling could affect University students looking into teaching after college.
Education junior Shelby Strong said the bill was part of her consideration when choosing a major.
“Everyone told me not to do it because if I got students with bad test scores, I’d get fired, but this is where I’m from, and I want to give back,” Strong said.
Strong said every student should have equal opportunities, but she doesn’t think the teachers should be punished.
While this is a main aspect of the bill, it also allows any child in a family of four or more whose income is less than $57,000 to apply for a seat in a school outside of their district — if his or her local school holds a rating of C or below.
Louisiana K-12 students began taking advantage of the state’s new voucher program this August after Jindal rushed the bill through legislation in the spring.
The problem, as seen by teacher unions and school boards across the state, is that the money slated for under-funded public schools will now go to private schools, which have separate funding, according to various educators.
Private schools also exist outside of governmental jurisdiction and do not require the same evaluations and criteria for courses as public schools.
Jindal and State Superintendent of Education John White’s argument is that the voucher program has helped and should continue to help students who previously had no options to earn a better education.
White said in a statement that the middle of the school year is not the best time to make this decision, as students will be in the middle of a grade.
Teachers protested this measure from the start, with demonstrations at the Capitol building as legislators drafted and passed the bill.
Two organizations, Louisiana Federation of Teachers and Louisiana Association of Educators, officially filed suits against the bill’s passing in June.
The argument against the bill includes a statement that the bill’s passing was unconstitutional.
Lower courts have refused to define the bill as unconstitutional because of the budget deficit this action would cause, forcing the case to make its way to the state court.
Currently, 4,900 students are enrolled in 117 private schools using the state’s vouchers.
