The Wall Street Journal Calls out Louisiana Teachers Unions for Bullying

On Sunday, The Wall Street Journal mirrored our argument that teachers unions in Louisiana are flat-out bullying schools in a letter sent to private schools planning to participate in the statewide voucher program set to begin in the fall:

“[T]he unions have already lost several court bids to delay the voucher program until the lawsuit plays out. Hence, the bullying.”

In ‘Whatever Means Necessary,’ the editorial board rightly points out that not only do vouchers work, but there is overwhelming demand in the Bayou State:

Demand for vouchers has been overwhelming: There were 10,300 applications for 5,600 slots. Despite claims to the contrary by school-choice opponents, low-income parents can and do act rationally when it comes to the education of their children.

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The unions claim that vouchers don't benefit students, but we know from school-choice programs in Washington, D.C., and elsewhere that voucher recipients attend safer schools and enjoy higher graduation rates than their peers in public schools.

Most poignant is the real reason that unions support that status quo and oppose vouchers, according to The Wall Street Journal:

The real reason that unions oppose vouchers has nothing to do with the impact on students and everything to do with the impact on teachers unions. The Louisiana Association of Educators doesn't want students taught by nonunion teachers—even if that means suing in court to make it illegal for a kid in a failing school to attend another school where he might learn something.

We must stop bullying and we must put our children first when it comes to education policy—and the voucher program does just that.


- American Federation for Children | Alliance for School Choice, MSG