‘WSJ’: La. voucher case highlights the ‘bizarre world’ we live in

The judge in a Baton Rouge trial challenging Gov. Bobby Jindal’s statewide school voucher program told lawyers today he didn’t think testimony was needed, even as testimony continued into its second day. Judge Tim Kelley’s comments reinforced expectations he will rule on the constitutionality of the program as soon as lawyers wrap up with their witnesses. He has said he expects to hand down a ruling by the end of the week. Meanwhile, The Wall Street Journal reports the case is an example of “the bizarre world in which we live.” To sharpen the point, the newspaper highlights the experience of Gabriel Evans of New Orleans. It says Evans attended an “F”-rated public school in 2007, then moved to a Catholic school a year later. “His mother, Valerie Evans, calls the voucher a ‘lifesaver,’ allowing him to get ‘out of a public school system that is filled with fear, confusion and violence,’ ” reads the report. “So what is the response of the teachers union? Sue the state to force 11-year-old Gabriel back to the failing school.” The Wall Street Journal concludes that the case in Louisiana is just the “latest study in how far the education bureaucracy will go to protect its money and power and resist the competition that comes from school choice, even when it means forcing kids to return to schools that steal their futures.” You can check out the story in its entirety here.