LOUISIANA SUPREME COURT STRIKES DOWN FUNDING VOUCHER PROGRAM USING PUBLIC SCHOOL FUNDS

Bobby Jindal

BATON ROUGE — The Louisiana Supreme Court has ruled that funding the state voucher program with funds intended for public schools is unconstitutional.
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The Supreme Court ruling states "After reviewing the record, the legislative instruments and the constitutional provisions at issue, we agree with the district court that once funds are dedicated to the state's Minimum Foundation Program for public education, the constitution prohibits those funds from being expended on the tuition costs of nonpublic schools and nonpublic entities...."

Bobby and the legislators who went along with the voucher plan will now have to find another way to pay for the vouchers.  This in a state where there is a constant struggle to balance the budget, and where the rule is cut, cut, cut, because the governor refuses to raise any taxes at all.  I wonder if Bobby and the legislators even pay attention to the Louisiana Constitution when they write and pass laws.  When there is no money, it seems strange to pass laws that will almost certainly be challenged in court, with the state having to pay for litigation costs to defend the laws.  Or, in their arrogance, do  Bobby and his supporters in the legislature think the court will not notice, and they'll get away with the foolishness?

I love the picture of Bobby in the Shreveport Times in what appears to be a jaw-dropping moment.

UPDATE: More on the consequences of the court ruling at the Advocate.

The ruling, a setback for Gov. Bobby Jindal, upheld and expanded on a ruling last year by the 19th Judicial District Court Judge Timothy Kelley.

It sets up a late session battle on how to finance the aid, which triggered weeks of pointed arguments last year.

In addition, Michael Faulk, president of the Louisiana Association of School Superintendents, said the decision will force the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to come up with a new plan to fund public schools for the 2013-14 school year.

The one approved earlier this year includes the use of public school dollars to fund vouchers. “It is going to have a big impact,” Faulk said of the ruling.

WHAT STANDARDS?

Tests and other oversight for voucher students will be less stringent than rules for public school students, officials predicted Monday. 

...officials familiar with the issue said they are not expecting White to recommend voucher policies that mirror those governing public schools, including letter grades and high-stakes tests for fourth- and eighth-graders. 

The rules requirement stems from a bill pushed by Gov. Bobby Jindal, and approved by the Legislature in April, that expands Louisiana’s voucher program statewide, not just in New Orleans. 

Students who have attended schools rated C, D and F by the state, and who meet income requirements, can apply for state-funded vouchers to offset most costs to attend private and parochial schools. 

So.  If your child attended a public school rated C, D, or F by the state, and you meet the income requirements, Louisiana will pay your child's tuition in a private school, which will not be held to the same standards as public schools and will not be graded by letter grades.

Michael Falk, president of the Louisiana Association of School Superintendents, has met with White in small groups of superintendents to discuss the issue.

He said Monday he does not expect White to require voucher students to face high-stakes tests, which means they have to pass them to move to the next grade.

Under current rules, fourth- and eighth-graders at public schools have to pass a skills test called LEAP to move to the next grade.

I have my reservations about the LEAP tests, which so often result in teaching to the tests, but how will we know if the private schools do a better job of educating students?  With our state money going to private schools, it would seem only fair to hold the schools to the same standards as public schools, whose already depleted coffers are being emptied further by funds going to private schools.

Last month U. S. Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., said private and parochial schools that accept voucher students should get letter grades from the state.

The senator is right.

Critics contend that any such grade would be distorted, mostly because voucher students will make up a small percentage of any school’s population.

I'm afraid I have to call BS on that excuse.

All too often, the Louisiana Legislature and the governor, especially this governor, seem not to have thoroughly thought through to the consequences of the legislation they passed and signed into law.  And the full effects of lower standards will not be seen until far in the future, when the damage to the students may have already been done.

I wonder how much governing Jindal can do from afar, since he spends a good part of his time traveling around the country campaigning, supposedly for Republican candidates.  Or is he campaigning for the position as Romney's vice-presidential candidate?   Or for a major position in the Romney administration?  What makes Bobby run? One sure thing, if Romney is looking for someone with even less charisma than himself, so as not to outshine him in the personality contest, then Jindal is his man.