Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry is pushing for state legislators to expand the program that gives families public funds to send their children to private schools. Now, the president of the Louisiana State Senate is pushing back.
"Doubling is what the governor wanted to do," Senate President Cameron Henry told WWL's Tommy Tucker, hinting that that it's too soon to double the state's GATOR program because of the financial risks that come along with that expansion. "Historically, you don't double any state program after one year. You want two or three years to see whether it's actually working (and) whether it's producing good results for the students."
Henry questions when and where the state will cap funding for the GATOR Program. He also questioned why the legislature should double funding for the GATOR Program after only one year while leaving the funding formula for public schools alone.
"That formula has not been changed in 30 years," Henry said. "Before we start putting more money towards these programs, let's make sure we're spending the four-plus billion (dollars in public education funds) in the correct manner. Or do we need to shift priorities?
Henry said regardless what happens during the legislative session, the GATOR Program will continue to service the students who have already opted into it.