START and STARTK12 have been Louisiana education savings programs for more than 20 years. Families can save for post-secondary and K-12 tuition, with the state contributing between 14% for families earning under $30,000, and 2% if income exceeds $100,000.

Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) are nothing more than a Voucher Program, but Louisiana already has one.

Vouchers began in Orleans Parish but were expanded state-wide under Gov. Jindal.

The Legislature appropriated $42.2M (2021-22) and $46.4M (2022-23), and two of the hallmarks are:

(1) it is only available to students from low-income families who otherwise could not afford private school tuition; and

(2) students are mandated to take the same State accountability tests as public-school students.

The ESAs being promoted are a Voucher Program 2.0, paying private school tuition, like a voucher, rather than merely assisting parents in saving for educational expenses.

But, ESAs do not have a financial eligibility component or require students to take the State Accountability examinations – reasons for Gov. Edwards’ veto in 2022.

Why wouldn’t Supt. Brumley advocate for the expansion of the existing Voucher Program?

The answer may be in the data. Another hallmark is that schools get a Scholarship Cohort Index (SCI) score, like a School Performance Score’s published letter grade, so parents, taxpayers, and policy makers know the academic achievement of students and the performance of schools.

A review of data from the LDoE reveals only 28 Voucher Schools received an SCI in 2022. None earned an A, one a B, along with 3 C’s, 11 D’s, and 13 F’s. So, 85.7% of Voucher Schools assigned a score earned a D or an F. 

The proposal touted by Supt. Brumley was to create ESAs, a new Voucher Program, because the current Voucher Program has been an academic failure and an utter waste of taxpayer dollars.

Dr. Janet Pope

Louisiana School Boards Association