Louisiana considers public school choice
By Mary C. Tillotson | Watchdog.org
Some Louisiana students are assigned to attend schools the state has given a grade of D or F. A bill sponsored by Sen. Ben Nevers would allow those students to transfer to higher performing public schools.
A Louisiana bill would allow students in D or F schools to transfer to A, B, or C schools.
Almost 28 percent of Louisiana’s schools, serving about 144,000 students, carry a D or F grade. School grades are based on a variety of measures, including student achievement on state assessments, credits earned, graduation rates and credits from Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate exams.
Many Louisiana students are eligible for private school choice programs, including publicly funded and tax-credit scholarship programs. Those programs are not open to all students, however, and space is limited.
The bill, Senate Bill 61, passed the state’s Senate and is scheduled for debate on the House floor May 28.
Contact Mary C. Tillotson at mtillotson@watchdog.org.
