(The Center Square) – Louisiana education officials plan to use nearly $6 million in federal grants to expand tutoring and AI tools in public schools, according to records provided to The Center Square.
Around $1 million will pay for student accounts for three platforms that use AI in the classroom: Amira, Khanmigo and Writable.
The rest of the money – about $4.87 million – is earmarked for the Steve Carter Tutoring Program, a Louisiana Department of Education initiative that provides vouchers for tutoring in reading, math and English.
The state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education is expected to vote Wednesday on the funding.
State Superintendent Cade Brumley said it comes from a flexible pool of federal money that allows Louisiana to set aside up to 3% for state priorities. The AI platforms and tutoring will comprise about half of that this year.
“We’re going to use this money and push it to school systems that want to further that work,” Brumley told The Center Square.
Brumley framed the approach as part of a “post-ESSER world,” referring to federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funds sent to states during the COVID-19 pandemic. Louisiana received roughly $4 billion to reopen schools, address learning loss and fuel what Brumley calls the state’s academic “comeback.”
“That funding is no longer available, and so federal dollars are more limited,” Brumley said.
Larger districts are among the biggest recipients of the new funding. Jefferson Parish schools are budgeted for roughly $887,983 combined, including $779,400 for tutoring and $108,583 for AI. Rapides Parish is set to receive about $404,804, Tangipahoa Parish $408,732 and Caddo Parish $354,311 across both initiatives.
New Orleans-area public schools are also prominent in the rollout. Orleans Parish schools are listed for about $215,163 in combined support, including $36,957 for AI. Central Community Schools are set to receive $64,002 entirely for AI work, while charter operators such as Athlos Academy of Jefferson, Lake Charles Charter Academy, Benjamin Franklin High School and several KIPP high schools will receive smaller AI grants to test classroom platforms.
The grants reach into rural Louisiana as well. Districts including Beauregard, Concordia, Madison, St. Mary and Washington parishes are receiving tutoring dollars, while others – such as Grant, Jackson and West Carroll – are listed only for AI allocations.
In total, 23 districts will receive funding for both tutoring and AI platforms.
