CV NEWS FEED // Louisiana may become the next state to approve universal school choice, according to a recent article by Wall Street Journal columnist and school choice advocate Corey DeAngelis.
As reported by CatholicVote, school choice continues to be a hot-button issue in the states as more and more parents seek to keep leftist propaganda out of their children’s education.
DeAngelis reported that Louisiana’s education system seemed ideal in the early 2000s. After Hurricane Katrina destroyed much of New Orleans in 2005, schools in the area were built under an all-charter school system. In 2008, with Republican Bobby Jindal as governor, Louisiana became one of the first states to establish school choice and enact private-school voucher programs for families seeking better education.
DeAngelis said the current governor, Democrat Gov. John Bel Edwards, has blocked bills aimed at expanding universal school choice since taking office in 2016, specifically opposing numerous bills that would allow families to use public education funds for private schools. Edwards’ actions restricted private-school vouchers and restrained the expansion of charter schools.
But last month, Louisiana elected Republican Jeff Landry as governor, meaning that school choice in Louisiana is about to change.
Landry, who will take office in January, is a longtime advocate of school choice. According to his campaign website, he believes in “expecting more from our education system.” The website also says that 74% percent of Louisiana’s fourth graders can’t read as well as they should, and almost 80% of the state’s eighth graders can’t do basic math.”
“Throwing more money at a broken system that lacks accountability is not the answer,” Landry wrote, and added that “Parents are the most critical voices in a child’s education.”
According to DeAngelis, Landry supported school choice while running for Congress in 2010.. During Landry’s term in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2011 to 2013, he supported a movement to reauthorize Washington, D.C.’s private-school voucher program. In addition to a new Republican governor, Louisiana’s legislature also gained school choice supporters. The Republican-controlled state House passed another school choice proposal earlier this year by a 61-37 vote, which would have allowed families with children who have special needs or learn at slower paces to choose more appropriate or beneficial schools, while still allowing the families to use public education funds. Gov. Edwards vetoed the bill, but Landry will likely revisit it next term.
