By Kimberly Hopson
L’Observateur

LAPLACE – With the March 15 deadline swiftly approaching, the Louisiana Scholarship Program, commonly known as the voucher program, is gearing up to begin its second year, but the program has been mired in controversy since its statewide implementation last year.
Last December, a Baton Rouge judge ruled the program unconstitutional on the grounds that it diverted funding meant for public schools. The state filed an appeal to the court decision with the Louisiana State Supreme Court in January. The court date for the appeal is March 19, however some citizens are concerned that it may not be sound judgment to continue accepting applications for a second year of the program while it is awaiting appeal.
The scholarship program was initially introduced in 2008 to provide families in the New Orleans Recovery School District. It allowed parents to send their children to approved nonpublic schools and high performing public schools if the schools in their areas were considered low performing or failing.
Regarding moving forward with the program, Superintendent John White’s Press Secretary Barry Landry said: “State law as passed through Act 2 of the 2012 Regular Legislative Session requires the Department to move forward with implementation of the Louisiana Scholarship Program. The Louisiana Scholarship Program itself was not ruled unconstitutional. Under state law, the Louisiana Scholarship Program is legal. The ruling by Judge Kelley was that the funding mechanism for the program was unconstitutional.”
Given its current funding source, the scholarship program is detrimental to the public schools of the River Parishes. This is especially true for St. John the Baptist, which has a high number of schools falling into the low performing category. More than 200 students took part in the program during the 2012-13 school year, causing the St. John School District to lose more than $1 million of funding.
Based on the 2011-12 School Performance Score grades, East St. John High, East St. John Elementary, Emily C. Watkins Elementary, Fifth Ward Elementary, Garyville/Mt. Airy Magnet School, Lake Pontchartrain Elementary, LaPlace Elementary and West St. John Elementary all received C and D grades. The St. John Alternative School was the only school to receive an F grade.
St. James Parish had the smallest amount of low-performing schools in the three parishes. Fifth Ward Elementary, Gramercy Elementary, Lutcher Elementary and St. James High all received C or D grades.
In St. Charles Parish, Albert Cammon Middle, Allemands Elementary, Luling Elementary, Norco Elementary (4-6), R.K. Middle and St. Rose Elementary all received C grades. These schools fared relatively well compared to other parishes.
Despite the controversy surrounding the program, participating parents are still grateful for the opportunity it has afforded their children.
Lynn Tran, 42, said her nephews and niece love the program.
“They used to attend Emily C. Watkins, but when they transferred to Our Lady of Grace, they really liked it. It was hard for them because it was the first time they went to a Catholic school. So the first year, they weren’t straight A/4.0 students, but they were at 3.8. I see a very big difference now.
“My two kids are in college. When they came here, they didn’t have that program. I wish I had it. I would put them on too, but I have to pay my own pocket money for them. That’s good for the state, to have an idea like that. Everybody needs good education for their children, but everyone can’t pay,” she said.
Melanie Williams, 55, took in her 14-year-old niece, Angel, because she was originally attending a low-performing school in Orleans Parish, the former Eisenhower Elementary School. The school has since been transferred to the Algiers Charter Schools Associaton. She now attends St. Charles Catholic High School.
“Her GPA is 3.29 right now. She did pretty good at Eisenhower too, but I didn’t know it was a failing school. She was the top of her class. They asked her if she could tutor some of the other students, and I said wait a minute … you don’t put that kind of pressure on a 12- or 13-year-old.”
Both said they are prepared to make major sacrifices if need be.
“They don’t mind paying for the education. For Asians like us, they put education and children first. That’s my culture. Even with the program, they still have to pay the (uniform fees). That’s why they work very hard, all those long hours,” said Tran.
“I’ll have to sacrifice and get another job to keep her there. I think it’s worth it because of the education. My own kids are grown now, and they went to John Curtis Christian School. They’re well-rounded, and it looks better on their resume when they apply to college,” said Williams.
To be eligible for a scholarship, students must have a family income of less than 250 percent of the federal poverty line and must be entering kindergarten or already enrolled in a low-performing school — the criteria for low-performing means a school with C, D or F grade. Letter grades are received based on the performance from a mixture of state assessments, national assessments and graduation rates.
Until the deadline, the Department of Education will be in discussions with each school regarding the number of available seats.The number of available seats at each school will be adjusted throughout the process as applications are submitted, depending on parent demand and school capacity. The week of April 8, the Department will release the total number of student applications received for the program. It will release the number of student awards made through the initial lottery process the week of April 15.
Applications for the program, details about school letter grades and a list of participating schools can be found online at lousianabelieves.com