(BATON ROUGE, LA.) – The Louisiana Legislature has sent the GATOR Scholarship to Gov. Jeff Landry for final approval. The Louisiana Giving All True Opportunity to Rise Scholarship establishes an education savings account (ESA) program in Louisiana.
A June 2023 poll by yes. every kid. foundation. and Arc Insights found that two-thirds of Louisiana K-12 parents support educational freedom, and 88% want to control the school their child attends. A national poll by yes. every kid. foundation. and YouGov also found that a broad majority of Americans believe education freedom strengthens education overall.
“Every family in Louisiana will soon be able to decide where and how their kids are educated,” said Lily Landry, senior policy analyst, yes. every kid. “Every kid, regardless of race, income, or home address, deserves access to an education that meets their unique needs. Thank you to Sen. Edmonds, Rep. Emerson, and the entire Legislature for their commitment to Louisiana families and students.”
Background on SB 313:
- The legislation creates a phased-in universal education scholarship account program starting in 2025.
- In the first two phases of the program, low-income, special needs, prior public, and current voucher students will be eligible. In the third phase, all Louisiana students eligible for public school can participate.
- Qualified expenses include tuition and fees, curriculum, textbooks, instructional materials, testing fees, therapies, and any other expense approved by the state board
- The state board of education will set how much each student can receive.
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