Reactions to the Lower Court Ruling on Voucher Program Funding Mechanism

A scholarship student stands outside the courthouse in Baton Rouge on the first day of the trial.

We brought you news late last week of a judge's decision to rule against the funding mechanism for the statewide Louisiana voucher program. Since the ruling was handed down Friday afternoon, a number of supporters of educational choice have spoken out against the ruling, reinforced their support for kids, and pledge to fight on.

Take a look below for just a few of the responses.

“I’m extremely disappointed,” said Tirany Howard, whose three children are receiving scholarships through the Student Scholarships for Educational Excellence program.  “For once, I felt like as a society we’re moving forward, putting kids first, but it’s still about money.”

“We will do everything possible to make sure the children who are benefitting from this important scholarship program – and the thousands of children who are seeking to enter the program—will continue to have this option. They’ve made far too much progress to go back.”

Kevin P. Chavous, senior advisor, American Federation for Children

"Today's ruling is wrongheaded and a travesty for parents across Louisiana who want nothing more than for their children to have an equal opportunity at receiving a great education," Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal said in a statement. "That opportunity is a chance that every child deserves and we will continue the fight to give it to them."

Day 2: The Louisiana Trial

As the second day of trial continues, make sure to read the latest update from the Institute for Justice at the Louisiana Federation for Children’s blog, and also be sure to follow LFC on Twitter!

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

Louisiana Voucher Trial Starts Today

The trial to determine the constitutionality of Louisiana’s statewide Student Scholarships for Educational Excellence Program started today.  Make sure you check in with our friends at the Louisiana Federation for Children for all the latest updates from inside the courtroom.

They're not only blogging about all the happenings of the trial, but we got a few photos from a rally that took place outside the courthouse this morning. Take a look below to see some of the students, parents, media members, and our senior advisor, Kevin P. Chavous, all of whom were on hand this morning.

An Accountability Update

In addition to the progress in 2012—with five new programs enacted and six existing programs strengthened—the educational choice movement has seen a significant increase in accountability standards in private school choice programs across the country.

Among the programs that have seen new accountability standards:

• Louisiana’s Student Scholarships for Educational Excellence Program
• Among other requirements, a participating school that receives a low Scholarship Cohort Index score cannot enroll additional scholarship recipients for the next school year. Scholarship students attending a participating school labeled failing will have first priority admission to attend another participating school the following year. 
• Pennsylvania’s Educational Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit
• The new scholarship tax credit program for students attending Pennsylvania’s worst performing public schools requires additional reporting and transparency measures for Scholarship Organizations, including reporting the number of scholarships awarded to students from low-income families.
• Virginia’s Education Improvement Scholarships Tax Credits
• The scholarship tax credit program created in 2012 requires participating private schools to measure annually scholarship students’ progress in reading and math with a national, norm-referenced achievement test and report those results to the state.  Beginning in the program’s third year, those results will be published on the Department of Education’s website.

 Check out the Alliance for School Choice’s 2012 Private School Choice Accountability Update for more information on accountability standards in Arizona, Florida, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Wisconsin, and Washington, D.C.

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

Kevin P. Chavous Gets it Right on Education Reform in Louisiana

While special interests have been more concerned with, well, special interests, than providing the best education for our children, advocates have been fighting for more educational choice for low-income families in Louisiana.

The state's governor, Bobby Jindal, earlier this year joined with a bipartisan coalition of state legislators to create a strong education reform package that included a statewide expansion of the Student Scholarship for Educational Excellence voucher program. And just a few months later, State School Superintendent John White put forth an accountability proposal that would further strengthen the program.

Alternatively, special interests sued the state over the expanded voucher program, attacked the officials that stood for children, and argued that “public money should go to public schools.”

Luckily, AFC Senior Advisor Kevin P. Chavous set the record straight in a letter to the editor in The Times-Picayune: public money should go to educate children in the best way possible, regardless of the system. Here’s what Kevin had to say:

Re: "Public money should go to public schools," Your Opinions, Oct. 16. State School Superintendent John White's support for the state voucher program is perfectly in line with his commitment to public schools, but more importantly, it's consistent with his commitment to making sure all children -- regardless of the system -- have access to a high-quality education.

For many families, that means a public school, but what about the families for which the public schools simply aren't working? In a state where 36 percent of all public schools are ranked D's or F's and 230,000 public school students are currently performing below grade level, the truth is that we need to give many families another option -- immediately. We've talked for decades about improving our public school system, but the pace of reform is too slow, and Louisiana has always ranked in the bottom five in K-12 public education outcomes.

Read Kevin's full letter by clicking here.

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

The Other Good News About the Louisiana Voucher Program

Last week, the Louisiana Department of Education reported that nearly 4,944 students are participating in the expanded Student Scholarships for Educational Excellence (SSEE) Program this year.  As nearly 5,000 families celebrated hearing that their children would be escaping poor-performing public schools and education reform advocates celebrated a large growth in parental options in the Bayou State, one part of the story got lost in the news.

The Department reported that 118 schools were participating in the program and one school—Park Vista Elementary in St. Landry Parish—was the only public school accepting voucher students.

The school, located in Opelousas, La., is the only B-rated school in the Parish.  Not only is the school high-performing, it serves a large percentage of students living in poverty.

The school decided to participate because the staff wanted to help students.

"To be honest with you the staff are the ones that said ‘why don't we do that,’ said Park Vista Elementary Principal Ulysse Joubert.  “I said very good."

Watch a report about the school below.

In Louisiana, Voucher School Says It's "Up to the Challenge" of Improving Student Performance

Just yesterday we told you that nearly 5,000 students have enrolled in Louisiana's newly-expanded voucher program. Today, check out this great video on the experience of one school participating in the program:

Hosanna Christian Academy is educating 283 students participating in the voucher program.  The school hired 22 new teachers to teach the nearly 600 students who attend the school.

"I love new students," said Zanetta Trahan, an American History teacher at the school. "I love the opportunity to teach new students. I see them all as potential scholars."

Principal Josh LeSage has for months been excited for the school year to start, in part because of Hosanna's ability to participate in the program. He'll also soon be taking part in a state education panel on the program, where he intends to recommend that greater preference be given to siblings of current students.

Though LeSage notes that many of the voucher students are two or three grade level behind, the school is up to the challenge. 

“I always feel good to be a part of an effort that says you know what these kids can grow and learn and grow and achieve as well," he said. "They're parents' pocket book doesn't really matter."

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

BREAKING NEWS: Nearly 5,000 Students Enroll in Expanded Louisiana Voucher Program

The Louisiana Department of Education today announced that 4,944 students at nearly 120 schools are participating in the expanded Student Scholarships for Educational Excellence (SSEE) program in the 2012-13 school year.

More than 10,300 students applied for scholarships after Gov. Bobby Jindal signed the statewide expansion into law earlier this year.

The program was originally created in 2008 for students from low-income families that attended failing schools in Orleans Parish.  The legislature passed the statewide expansion of the program with strong bipartisan support earlier this year.  The expanded program allowed students from low-income families that attended schools rated “C,’ “D,” or “F” to attend the school of their parents’ choice.

Click here for more information!

- American Federation for Children | Alliance for School Choice

Back to School in Louisiana: A Legal Discussion on Vouchers

Check out this great discussion on Louisiana’s expanded voucher program in the special Back-to-School edition of The Legal Round Table, where host Shenequa Grey speaks to Eric Lewis of the Black Alliance for Educational Options and Steve Monaghan of the Louisiana Federation for Teachers on the newly expanded voucher program and the lawsuit brought on by several special interest groups.  Grey then interviews Brian Blackwell, who sent the now infamous letter that threatened private schools participating in the newly-expanded program on behalf of the Louisiana Association of Educators.

Scroll to 10 minutes to watch the beginning of the discussion between Lewis and Blackwell.



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

Alliance for School Choice, Institute for Justice Respond to Bullying with Legal Defense Fund

All week, we’ve been telling you about the bullying tactics of special interests trying to scare schools out of participating in the newly-expanded statewide voucher program.  Now, thanks to the Alliance for School Choice and the Institute for Justice, there is something you can do about it.  Check out the new legal defense fund to help protect schools that are attacked by lawsuits for participating in the voucher program.

The Louisiana Defense Fund, created in response to the letter sent by the Louisiana Association of Educators that threatened to sue private schools that participate in the program, will protect Louisiana schools against legal threats from the local teachers union.

And while defenders of the status quo are reaching new lows to stop a scholarship program designed to help students from low-income families that are stuck in failing schools, those standing for children have been hard at work.  The Department of Education recently announced the awarding of 5,637 scholarships—just more than half of the 10,300 applications received.

The program is set to move forward at the beginning of the school year, while the trial to determine the constitutionality of the program is set to begin on October 15.

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

Louisiana Headmaster Stands Up to Bullying Tactics

The Headmaster of John Paul the Great Academy in Lafayette, Louisiana isn’t getting bullied by opponents to education reform.  In fact, he’s standing up to them.  Writing in The Advertiser yesterday, Kevin Roberts addressed the letter sent by counsel for the Louisiana Association of Educators (LAE) that tried to scare private schools from participating in the newly-expanded voucher program:

If teachers unions spent more time focused on ways to improve the deplorable quality of government-run schools, rather than intimidating anyone interested in the improvement of them, then there would be little need for innovative solutions like Louisiana's recently created Student Scholarship Program. But in typical union thuggery style, the Louisiana Association of Educators has acted like a schoolyard bully.

Roberts notes that time would be better spent if the LAE—and other status quo supporters—worked to improve our public schools:

More important than this schoolyard tiff is the real issue that the LAE purposefully obscures by its expensive, protracted legal shenanigans: the necessity of our public schools being reformed.

Let’s hope that education leaders of all stripes work to improve our public schools and provide more educational options to children.

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

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.

[…]

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

Louisiana's Real Bullying Problem

Celebrities from Lady Gaga to Taylor Swift to Justin Timberlake have spoken out against bullying in schools. But what if the schools themselves—not to mention low-income families trying to provide a better education for their children—were actually the ones being bullied?

That just may be the case in Louisiana. 

Despite a state appeals court ruling 2-1 to uphold the decision by the lower court to let the voucher program continue, the Louisiana Association of Educators (LAE) apparently wasn’t satisfied.

So they threatened to sue.  Since they are already suing the state for passing a sweeping statewide expansion of the Student Scholarships for Educational Excellence Program—which allows children from low-income families attending failing schools to access an education at the school of their parents’ choice—the LAE is threatening to sue schools for accepting the scholarship money that helps children access a high-quality education.

Why threaten participating schools?

According to LAE attorney Brian Blackwell:

"The real concern is with the schools that paltry financial resources and then who receive the money and then spend it will not have the ability to repay it if the program ultimately is declared unconstitutional."

So it’s not about children; it’s about money.

And LAE President Joyce Haynes reiterated the importance of stopping funding  from following the child, when she said “we deserve that money so we can have better public schools.”

Accountability in the Bayou State

Earlier this year, Louisiana expanded its voucher program statewide, allowing students from low-income families attending low-performing public schools to get a scholarship to attend the private school of their parents’ choice.  The program received overwhelming support from both Democrats and Republicans in the legislature.  

But the support from families was even stronger. For the 2012-13 school year, more than 10,300 applications were submitted to the state Department of Education for a chance for a voucher. The Department of Education has announced that 5,600 students—including 1,700 renewing students from Orleans Parish—have been granted a voucher so far.  More scholarships are likely to be approved in the coming weeks.

And this week, the accountability standards for the voucher program have been approved by the state board of education.  The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education voted 9-2 to adopt the accountability provisions proposed by state Superintendent John White.

Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu praised the state board for adopting accountability provisions, writing:

"I am encouraged by the criteria's strong emphasis on public reporting of performance data and the fact that there are consequences for nonpublic schools scoring below an established cutoff point."

The American Federation for Children strongly believes that strong academic, financial, and administrative accountability standards are integral to the success of private school choice programs.  The most effective programs across the nation—in Washington, D.C., Milwaukee, and Florida—are also the programs with the strongest accountability provisions.

Luckily for students in the Bayou State, Superintendent of Education John White believes in strong accountability standards.  In an editorial published this week, White wrote:

But empowerment is just half of the equation. On the other side is an equally important concept: accountability. To be clear, I mean accountability not in the sense of more rules and regulations from Baton Rouge and Washington. I mean accountability for outcomes and achievement. I mean accountability for producing results. Empowered people, close to children, accountable for results: That’s a formula for improvement.

[…]

And as the [voucher] program expands statewide, it is important that the program and its schools be fully accountable for student achievement and for responsible use of the public dollar. That is why today the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) will vote on a plan for academic and operations accountability for private schools running scholarship programs.

Organizations Continue Fighting Back in Defense of Louisiana Voucher Program

Check out this video from WFAB in Baton Rouge, which not only highlights the importance of the Student Scholarship for Educational Excellence program -- the recently-expanded, statewide voucher program -- but also our friends the Black Alliance for Educational Options, who have fought for expanded school choice in the Bayou State for years. It also gives a well-deserved shout out to the Institute for Justice, the organization that is working hard to defeat special interests who are determined to use the legal process to deny families the right to choose their education.

- American Federation for Children | Alliance for School Choice

BREAKING NEWS: Louisiana Judge Allows Expanded Voucher Program to Proceed with August Enrollment

We've got great news from Louisiana: Judge Tim Kelley today ruled that the Student Scholarships for Educational Excellence program, which was expanded statewide earlier this year and faces several lawsuits from opponents to education reform, will be allowed to proceed in August.  The judge ruled against an injunction, citing a state law that says injunctions cannot be implemented if it would cause a budget deficit in a state agency, according to the Baton Rouge Business Report.

This is a minor sigh of relief for many Louisiana families, who will now be able to send their children to the school of their choice in August.  While the lawsuit is moving forward, the Institute of Justice—representing parents, the Black Alliance for Educational Options, and our sister organization the Alliance for School Choice—will defend this vital program.

School Choice Now! will keep you updated on all the legal happenings as advocates work to protect the expanded Student Scholarships for Education Excellence program.

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

Opponents to Education Reform are at it…Again

Families across Louisiana celebrated a legislative victory earlier this year thanks to a bipartisan coalition in the state legislature and the strong leadership of Governor Bobby Jindal. Together, they expanded New Orleans’ voucher program statewide, making almost 400,000 additional families eligible for school choice.  Later this week, we'll get official numbers as to how many of those families followed up and applied to participate in the program; early estimates put the number in the thousands. 

But not everyone was happy.  Opponents—including teachers unions and local school boards—are focused on maintaining the status quo.  They decried the expanded program, and, instead of focusing on giving all children an education that is tailored to their needs, they sued, wanting the court system to disband this program.  

But the Institute for Justice (IJ), a national civil liberties law firm has filed a motion to intervene in the lawsuits against the program.  Representing parents, the Alliance for School Choice, and the Black Alliance for Educational Options, IJ has a long track record of defending—and winning—these cases. 

Preventing disadvantaged children from accessing a quality education is shameful.  And AFC Senior Advisor Kevin Chavous, who has worked in the state for years building legislative support for private school choice, echoed that sentiment:

The demand for this program has been demonstrated by the thousands of Louisiana families pleading for more educational options not only in New Orleans, but across the entire state.  We’re confident that IJ’s strong legal presence will prevail for those families seeking the quality educational options their children have long deserved.

More than 380,000 students are eligible to participate under the expanded Student Scholarships for Educational Excellence program, which is designed to help students from low-income backgrounds who attend persistently poor-performing public schools.  In the 2011-12 school year, more than 1,800 students living in Orleans Parish participated in the program.

Check out a release from the Alliance for School Choice on we're standing with IJ, BAEO, and parents from across the state.

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

Louisiana Voucher Application Period Ends, Brighter Future for Thousands of Students Begins

It’s not only the end of the workweek,  but also the end of application period for the recently-expanded Louisiana voucher program, Student Scholarships for Educational Excellence (SSEE). With only a month to spread the word (the application period ran from May 22-June 29), our Louisiana friends wasted no time implementing the statewide program. 

Our friends from the south at the Louisiana Federation for Children and the Black Alliance for Educational Options teamed up with the state’s Department of Education to quickly (and effectively) communicate about the expanded program, its requirements, and the application period from Shreveport all the way down to New Orleans. For the geographically-challenged, that’s north Louisiana to south Louisiana.

The aggressive outreach campaign included an informational website, direct mail, radio ads, billboards, outbound phone calls, an educational roadshow, and much more. You can rest assured that eligible parents received the word that this program—an indispensable educational opportunity—was available to them.

Take a look at the video below, courtesy of our friends at Louisiana BAEO. At eight minutes long, it tells the story of the battle the Louisiana reformers endured and the momentous success that followed. 

Originally enacted in 2008 for students in Orleans Parish, the SSEE program has consistently boasted high parental satisfaction rates, to the tune of 90 percent.  And during the 2011-12 school year, it served more than 1,800 students in New Orleans.

In its first year of expansion, more than 100 schools have signed up to participate offering nearly 5,000 seats from grades K-12—an impressive feat with such a short turnaround. (Remember, the program was just signed into law by Gov. Jindal on April 18.) And just last week, the state Department of Education reported that more than 6,000 applications have already been submitted. This number was expected to continue to rise as additional applications were input into the system and were still being submitted by eligible parents.