State District Judge Tim Kelley ruled Friday that Gov. Bobby Jindal’s expanded voucher program unconstitutionally diverts public money to send some public school students to private and parochial schools.
Kelley said that both Act 2 and Senate Concurrent Resolution 99 unlawfully divert tax dollars for nonpublic educational purposes.
Kelly heard closing arguments Friday morning from attorneys for the state, teacher unions, school boards and school-choice advocates.
Of course, the decision will be appealed, and who knows what will happen on appeal, but the news for now is good. The voucher system transfers state funds, dedicated by law to public school systems, to private schools, which are not held to the same standards as public schools. However, the decision is not about unequal standards, which is a whole other matter, but about following the Louisiana Constitution.
so... --would this mean that home schooled children would be eligible for voucher funds too?
ReplyDeletemargaret, I don't think so, but the program was launched so hastily and with so little preparation that it was difficult to fully understand just which students and which schools were eligible for the vouchers. The private schools are not obliged to teach real science and real history. Jindal's ultimate aim seems to be to do away with the public school system and privatize education in Louisiana.
DeleteI guess I just don't understand these R wing folks, by that I mean what do they anticipate will become of this country if educational standards are disregarded, content is untruthful, medical standards and care are lessened? What then? they never seem to discuss an end plan for all of this.
ReplyDeleteI have a son who is far on the right, sad to say. He is in business and makes a great deal of money. During the last campaign, he drove me to Boston for some medical treatment and on the way he sang praises of Mitt & co. So after a bit of this sermonizing, there was a pause and I asked him that same question and pointed out that without Medcaire I would never be able to afford my treatment and would be dead or almost dead as would be many others. "So", I asked, "would you be paying for my Rx?" He was slick, "excuse me, Mom, I have to take this call"........rescued by his cell phone.
Seriously, I think this is a question that will arise again when I once again have to listen to such gobble....and I think that these guys should be confronted with questions about taking care of the population if their obscene plans to cut entitlement and medical programs were ever to become a reality! Otherwise, they just go on and on ranting about plans but never coming to any reality about the results of such ideas!
Sigh! Just don't ask me how I got a child on the Right...
just too painful to relate. Politics aside, he's a great guy.......
nij
Nij, it's possible that extreme right wingers would not believe the consequences of their policies until they actually saw them fully in place. If George W Bush's two terms were not enough to convince them, then only if the situation in the country got much, much worse would their eyes be opened.
DeleteBobby Jindal actually wants to privatize all functions of state government. He's a zealot, and the lazy legislature lets him have his way more often than not.
I love my three children, but they all lean to the right. My daughter is not really political and didn't even bother to vote this time, but I cannot talk politics with my two sons, because I can't stay calm in our conversations.
P. S. I'm old enough to remember the roaring and gnashing of teeth by non RC people in RI where there is a heavy RC population when there was a question of using public schools for 1 hour per day for release time Rel. ed., or using public school buses to transport RC kids to parishes for Rel. ed. There was such fiery outrage about using ANY public funds for religious schooling and now LA wants to use public school money for "private" schools? Ye Gods! The Heritagee Foundation has really succeeded in a big way!
ReplyDeleteIt's plain old scary!
nij
Private school students in my parish are bussed to and from school on buses and drivers paid for with public funds.
DeleteNij--I was raised RC and my dad had to pay tuition for me and my sisters to attend RC schools and there was a lot of grumbling about how THEY had to pay taxes for public education. Of course this shifts the issue from education. The key word here being EDUCATION. I always claim that I am the VICTIM of an RC education. Would that I had been allowed to go to a public school. That would have been about education not indoctrination, bigotry and in my case never ending abuse w/parental consent. I think that most of us would rather not have our tax dollars used to keep promoting this on-going bigotry.
DeleteI am cheering for Judge Tim Kelley.
I'm cheering Judge Kelley, too.
DeleteSo the rule of law applies even to Louisiana - no doubt that will come as a surprise to many. Surely no appeals court anywhere up the ladder will overturn this ruling - ya think?
ReplyDeleteOne brave judge believes that the rule of law applies. Bobby has a habit of firing people who don't agree or go along with him, but he can't fire judges.
DeleteBonnie, we were Protestant and then we moved to a very RC suburb and I had to take two buses each way to HS as the town didn't have a HS. I guess kids are never happy, because I was simply green with teen envy. I longed to wear a hot wool uniform, and have most of Holy Days off (I wasn't sure what they were or why they were 'holy', but I wanted some anyhow:>)
ReplyDeleteand I longed to bedisciplineed by mysterious nuns. At one point I went home and informed my mother that I was going to become Catholic. She was chopping celery for a salad and she shouted "NO" and down came the knife and drew blood. Some days u never forget:>) She was just as peeved when I actually did become RC in my 40s. These days I look at the Church and what B16 has done to it and I'm so sad to see what is left of the eviseratd VII reform. If afterlife is for real, my mother is chanting "told you so!"
Yes Mimi, I think u r right about those guys not thinking of the results, only I think worse of them. I think they really do not care, and it hurts to see my child pushing it! I think u know whereof I speak!
peace, nij
Nij, I don't think they care either, but when things went bad enough, the people of the country might rise up in demonstrations.
DeleteMy children live in the same bubble with the Republicans who were so certain that Romney would win the election and were stunned when he lost, which just goes to show that peer influence is more powerful than parental influence.
Hi again,
ReplyDeleteI had an interesting glimpse of how they think about country.
We were talking about the sad state of the RC church in this country and I wondered aloud just how bad it would get before Rome did something about it. Without even a moment's thought he said that Rome will just move on to other parts of the world and strengthen the churches elsewhere in newer markets.
"That's what corporations do, they move on."
If u apply that principle to the country, then, after draining this country, they will just move on.........
nij
"That's what corporations do, they move on."
DeleteThat's right. The popes have not been happy with US Roman Catholics for quite a long time because they still practice their religion, but not all of them are willing to park their brains outside the church door. JPII, in his long reign, appointed bishops who will do his bidding, but not all the flock follow the teachings of the shepherds. Europeans have pretty well abandoned the church except for baptisms and funerals. Like a corporation with the bottom line ever in mind, the RC church will move on to places where it can prosper.
Hey Mimi,
ReplyDeleteToday I heard part od Bill Moyer's Sunday program. He was pointing out that there are 4 states using or wanting to use public funds for private education. LA and 3 others.
Google ALEC for further info, ALEC is an org. lobbying for Corporations, very hush hush! Hop u have time to look it up!
In haste,
nij
Nij, I will check out this ALEC. I have heard of it.
Delete