Gov. Jeff Landry (R-LA) signed universal school choice into law on Wednesday, making Louisiana the 11th state in the union to allow education funding to follow students instead of being pumped into schools.
Landry signed the Giving All True Opportunity to Rise Program into law, which will create education savings accounts, the funds from which can be used to send children to private school, for low-income families starting next year.
“Today, we fulfilled our promise to bring drastic reform to our education system and bring common sense back to our classrooms,” Landry said in a statement. “A strong education system leads to a strong economy and a strong state. Our historic Dream Big Package puts the focus back on our kids, and allows Louisiana to follow in the footsteps of our neighbors in the South.”
An education savings account allows parents to use public funds on education-related expenses, including tuition for private schools or instructional materials for homeschooling.
Louisiana’s bill differs from some school choice plans in that it will be phased in over time, with the lowest-income Pelican State residents, those who report a total income 250% below the federal poverty line, receiving the first benefits. However, the benefits will expand to all Louisiana residents over time.
Six state House Democrats broke with their party to support the measure in April, and it sailed through the state House 71-32. It passed the Senate 23-14 in May.
Another bill signed into law Wednesday requires Louisiana public schools to display the Ten Commandments in all classrooms. Landry called the bill “one of his favorites” at the signing ceremony, adding, “If you want to respect the rule of law, you’ve got to start from the original law given which was Moses. … He got his commandments from God.”
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Louisiana has been pursuing other education reforms as well. As the Washington Examiner reported, the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education approved a new school grading plan focused on holding K-12 schools accountable for student results.
Some of the new measures make it more difficult to achieve high performance reviews.
