La. expected to take hard look at expanding voucher program

When Gov. Bobby Jindal pushed through New Orleans’ school voucher program four years ago, political interest in using taxpayer money to send students to private schools had waned across the country, reports The Times-Picayune. School choice advocates had suffered several stinging defeats, causing some to throw their weight behind charter schools, which generally receive more bipartisan support. Now, as officials expect Jindal to begin an effort to expand Louisiana’s voucher program, the national landscape has changed dramatically. Although charter schools continue to dwarf vouchers in terms of overall growth, voucher programs have rebounded on the national political and educational scene in the past year. In 2011, more than 30 states introduced bills that would use taxpayer dollars to send children to privately run schools, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. That’s up more than 300% from the previous year, when only nine voucher bills were introduced. Louisiana currently operates a small voucher program in New Orleans, which this year pays for about 1,800 children to attend private and parochial schools at taxpayer expense. The children must come from low-income families and, unless they are starting kindergarten, must be transferring from public schools the state considers failing. Later this month, Jindal will likely push for a statewide expansion of the program, according to officials who have consulted with the governor on education proposals. More details should be released in the coming weeks. Get the full story here.