A statewide program that would open up public education to private schools and online education companies on the taxpayers' dime is expected to pass at least in limited form when the Legislature convenes next week, paving the way for a likely lawsuit from the top teacher's union in the state.
State Superintendent of Education John White has unofficially estimated that the number of students who would likely move to private schools in the first year of a proposed statewide voucher program is far less than the 380,000 students who would be eligible.
If Gov. Bobby Jindal's proposal wins approval from the Legislature, White tells The Times-Picayune that it's "reasonable" to estimate that some 2,000 students would make the move to private schools during the program's first year. White, according to The T-P, bases his guess on the number of students participating in a statewide voucher program in Indiana.
The numbers White offer support the assertions of both the Archdiocese of New Orleans, which did a survey on Catholic school seats available outside of New Orleans, and U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu's own estimates on the availability of private schools, the only piece of Jindal's education reform package Landrieu has criticized:
As detailed in legislation filed last week, the governor's program would allow Louisiana students to use public education dollars for courses offered outside of their school. If implemented, it's an idea that could potentially expand options for every high-school student in the state. Anyone looking for a course their school doesn't offer -- be it welding or advanced placement economics -- could use state and local tax dollars to pay a private company, university or online course provider offering the courses.
By contrast, the voucher program is likely to be held in check, at least at first, by a number of factors, beginning with the limited number of private schools in Louisiana. Landrieu has pointed out repeatedly that even if every private school in the state expanded by 10 percent they could only accommodate perhaps 12,000 students, far less than the 380,000 or so who would be eligible under the governor's plan.
White said the department will not be looking to hand out vouchers to fly-by-night operations that pop up simply to take advantage of available public money. He pointed out that the proposed legislation stipulates that any new private school could draw no more than 20 percent of it overall student population from the program, although the state board of education would get authority to offer new schools a waiver from that provision.
Another factor that may broaden the voucher program, if not the number of students attending private schools, is the fact that Jindal's proposal would make public schools earning a grade of B or A from the state eligible to receive vouchers as well. Again, there's a question of how many seats would be immediately available, but it's a proposal that could potentially allow a significant number of students to jump from one district to another for the first time.
As White continues to carry Jindal's torch for private school vouchers and other critical pieces of Jindal's reform legislation, the head of the state's top teacher union is using the Louisiana Constitution as grounds for his latest campaign against publicly funded private education.
According to The Times-Picayune, Louisiana Federation of Teachers President Steve Monaghan sent a letter to all state lawmakers this week detailing language in the Louisiana Constitution that he claims prohibits the use of money from the Minimum Foundation Program, the formula by which local school districts receive state money on a per-student basis, for anything else except public education:
He cites the Louisiana Constitution's definition of the Minimum Foundation Program as "a formula which shall be used to determine the cost of a minimum foundation program of education in all public elementary and secondary schools."
With Republicans and Democratic Jindal allies firmly in control of the Legislature, Jindal is expected to win approval of some kind of statewide voucher program, with the unresolved arguments likely turning on eligibility of students and regulatory requirements for private schools that accept them.
Nonetheless, Monaghan promises to continue raising legal concerns, and his organization is likely to file suit challenging any new voucher law that depends on the MFP. Similar arguments have failed in state courts in Indiana and Arizona in recent years, though those cases offer no absolute precedent since state cases hinge on local constitutional language.
Read the full stories at www.nola.com/education.