Louisiana Supreme Court Rules Jindal Voucher Scheme Unconstitutional
BATON ROUGE — In a victory for quality public schools for all of Louisiana’s children, the Louisiana Supreme Court today ruled that Gov. Bobby Jindal’s voucher funding scheme is unconstitutional.
“The Supreme Court today stood up for fairness and equity for all of our kids’ schools here in Louisiana,” said Louisiana Democratic Party Chair Karen Carter Peterson. “Diverting dollars from our already struggling school districts to private school vouchers for a select few students is wrong, and more importantly, it’s against our state constitution.
“Instead of siphoning funds for vouchers, we must dedicate ourselves to providing adequate funding for all of our schools, so our kids receive a high-quality education that prepares them to compete in the 21st century global marketplace. We appreciate the efforts of the Louisiana Federation of Teachers, Louisiana Association of Educators and Louisiana School Boards Association in fighting on our children’s behalf for top-notch public schools.”
In a 6-1 decision, the Supreme Court upheld a lower court ruling that the state constitution prohibits taking funds from the Minimum Foundation Program, which sets equitable funding for Louisiana’s public schools, and sending those dollars to private schools in the form of tuition vouchers.
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