(The Center Square) − In the final stretch of Louisiana’s legislative session, lawmakers approved a state budget that includes less than half the funding Gov. Jeff Landry requested for the new LA GATOR school voucher program— setting the stage for a slower rollout.
Landry sought $93.5 million to launch the Louisiana Giving All True Opportunity to Rise program, which would provide state money to families for private school or homeschool tuition and other educational expenses. But after weeks of debate, the Legislature settled on an allocation of $43.5 million — a $50 million reduction.
Rep. Jack McFarland, R-Jonesboro, who authored the budget bill, said the final number reflected caution over how the program has evolved since it was passed last year, particularly as new details emerged about who would benefit from the funding.
“When you look at the application data, it’s 40,000 applicants — but only about 10,000 are coming from public schools. The other 30,000 are already enrolled in private schools,” McFarland said, adding that the intention was to help families get their kids out of struggling schools, not subsidize private tuition for students already there.
The LA GATOR program, which replaces Louisiana’s previous voucher system, was initially framed as a way to give students in failing schools access to higher-quality education. But lawmakers said recent developments —especially around how the money would be distributed — raised red flags.
McFarland pointed to discrepancies in per-pupil funding formulas and concerns over the state paying for students already outside the public system.
“We need to get clarity on the numbers and the contract, which is still under review by the Joint Budget Committee,” McFarland said. The JLCB will meet on Friday.
Senate President Cameron Henry, R-Metairie, echoed the concerns of McFarland.
Henry said the original vision was to allow public school students to use their state funding allotment to attend a private school but that the plan has since shifted toward a more expansive and expensive system.
“You went from taking a kid from a school that just didn’t work for that child, and moving to a school that does work for the child, to now we’re paying more,” Henry said. “And we’ve created an Amazon for the Department of Education to which students can buy services or items on live net. We’ve gotten away from the general point of what we’re trying to do.”
Henry said the state has no long-term guarantee of affordability, especially if participation expands to include students who never attended public school.
“I’m using my own money to send a child to a public school, okay,?” Henry remarked. “I’m using my own money to send my child to a non-public school. And now you want me to spend more of my money to send another kid to a private school or a non-public school. So you want me to send three kids to school, only one of which are mine.”
While some supporters have pushed for the full $93.5 million to meet initial demand, Henry and others insisted that the program prove its value before receiving additional funding.
“This is a wait-and-see approach,” Henry said. “If it’s successful, if it shows progress, and if the administration is honest with the Legislature about how it works — then we’ll consider future growth”
The scaled-back funding comes despite a public pressure campaign led by Landry, which included TV ads and a state capitol rally.
In place of the extra funding for LA GATOR, Lawmakers restored $30 million for high-dosage tutoring, kept teacher pay stipends intact, and approved more funding for local jails, the Department of Children and Family Services, and the University of New Orleans’ transition into the LSU system.
