Choice and Opportunity
On February 29, 2008, Gov. Bobby Jindal presented the Louisiana Legislature with a proposed budget allocating $10 million for a school choice initiative that would enable parents in New Orleans to send their children to the school of their choice, including private schools, with state-funded scholarships. According to Gov. Jindal, “We want to make sure that every family is able to find a school that best fits their needs.”
Introduced in April 2008, the Student Scholarships for Educational Excellence Act would provide scholarships of over $6,000 to low-income families in New Orleans for use in non-public schools in New Orleans and public schools in Jefferson, St. Bernard and Plaquemines parishes. Initially available to students entering kindergarten through grade 3, the program would grow to encompass grades 4 through 12 in successive years.”
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