Education Swamp Fighting Gov. Landry & Parents to Protect their Fiefdoms

Governor Jeff Landry and the Louisiana Legislature are working to pass legislation to establish Louisiana’s first fully-universal school choice program to give parents more control over their children's education-- but education swamp leaders are fighting parents, lawmakers and the governor to try and ensure it never happens.

Lawmakers are considering several bills this session to expand education freedom for Louisiana families through Education Savings Accounts (ESAs). ESAs are taxpayer-funded savings accounts that parents can use to pay for K-12 education expenses such as school tuition, tutoring, online education programs, specialized therapies for children with special needs, etc.  

In his opening speech to the Louisiana Legislature, Gov. Landry said:

“[P]arents are the most important voice in their child’s education. [ESAs] will finally put parents in the driver’s seat and give children from every corner of the state an opportunity to receive the quality education they deserve.”

What does the education swamp think about putting parents in the driver’s seat over their children’s education? Recent comments from school superintendents’ associations, teachers’ unions and school boards across the state make it clear that the education establishment sees any attempt to fund students over systems as a threat.

In a seemingly misinformed speech that was caught on camera, Ouachita Parish Superintendent Todd Guice said:

“We feel like public education is under attack… in our state and across this country… 

“We understand parents have choices. We respect that. Where we have issues is when you attack our funding…”

Allen Parish Superintendent Brad Soileau made similar claims that were reported in the Lake Charles American Press:

“I’m not against parent choice, but there is a difference between a parent choosing to put their child in a private school and the state funding that out of our money…”

While it should not be surprising that government school superintendents like Mr. Guice and Mr. Soileau would say just about anything to protect their fiefdoms, someone should probably inform these guys that our kids do not belong to the government—and the taxpayer money we send to Baton Rouge does not belong to them either.

Education funding is for educating children, not for propping up systems or protecting particular institutions—and education funding should follow the student, wherever that leads. 

That’s exactly what ESA programs seek to do by putting parents in the driver’s seat to decide what’s best for their kids. From special needs and academic programs, to bullying, safety issues and extra-curricular opportunities, there’s a myriad of factors parents must consider when choosing a learning environment to best fit their child. No government bureaucrat or institution can understand a child’s learning needs more than those who raise and nurture them. But, all too often, it is a child’s government-issued ZIP code that decides where they go to school—not their parents.

ESA programs seek to change that. They also provide a lifeline for families in underserved communities who don’t currently have access to school choice, and in many states that have similar programs, the competitive marketplace created by ESAs has also helped to compel traditional government-run schools to improve academic excellence in order to stay relevant.

One thing the proposed Louisiana ESA program(s) WOULD NOT DO is take local education dollars away from public schools. On this point, Superintendent Guice’s comment was apparently misinformed at best and blatantly misleading at worst:

GUICE’S CLAIM: “I think you would be surprised to know that possibly tax money that you voted on to stay in Ouachita Parish could leave the parish to go to another district outside of our parish or another entity outside of our parish…”

ACTUAL TRUTH: None of the proposed ESA programs that are being considering this Session would be funded with local education dollars. If passed by the Louisiana Legislature, the ESA program would be funded with state tax dollars provided through a line item appropriation in the budget. 

Despite the education swamp’s claims that they are not against parent choice and just want what’s best for students, it is obvious that’s not the case.

Under Louisiana’s current education system, K-12 students are zoned to specific government-run schools based on where they live. Your tax dollars provide funding for their education to the tune of over $12,000 on average per student per year.

Despite these investment of taxpayer funds into government-run schools, less than 35% of all Louisiana K-12 public school students are proficient and on grade level in the core subjects of Math, ELA, Science, and History.

It is clear that what we are doing now is not working. It is long past time that we try something different.

Parents should be able to take their children’s education dollars to the school or education program that works best for their kid—whether that’s a traditional public school or a new micro school, Montessori program, learning pod, private school or homeschool program.

ESAs do just that. Rather than fighting to protect their fiefdoms and working to keep more kids trapped in government run schools, the Louisiana School Board Association, the Louisiana Association of School Superintendents, the Louisiana Federation of Teachers, and the Louisiana Association of Educators should be thinking about how they can improve them.