Fate of 4,900 voucher students uncertain in light of judge’s ruling

Gov. Bobby Jindal’s private school tuition voucher program was ruled unconstitutional by a Baton Rouge judge this afternoon, and it’s not immediately clear how the ruling will affect the more than 4,900 students now enrolled in 117 private schools with taxpayer dollars. State Superintendent of Education John White issued a brief statement this afternoon, saying: “We strongly disagree with the ruling. We are optimistic this decision will be reversed on appeal.” In the ruling, District Judge Tim Kelley says that the program improperly diverts money allocated through Louisiana’s public school funding formula to private schools. He also says it unconstitutionally diverts local tax dollars to private schools. The state DOE and BESE say the programs were funded and created in line with the constitution. The Black Alliance for Educational Options, a staunch supporter of the voucher program, issued a statement following Kelley’s ruling, declaring it “a violation of civil rights” that will “yield damaging effects on the lives of thousands of children.” Today’s ruling is the second legal setback this week for the voucher program that Jindal pushed through the Legislature this year as part of a sweeping education system overhaul. On Monday, a federal judge halted the voucher program in one Louisiana parish, saying it conflicts with a decades-old desegregation case. U.S. District Judge Ivan Lemelle’s ruling affected only Tangipahoa Parish. However, it has implications in more than 30 of Louisiana’s public school districts that are under federal desegregation orders.