Gov Jeff Landry's education bill to allow parents to use funds for private school attendance passed the Senate, but with some revisions.
The key concern for Senators on both sides of the aisle being the price tag for such a change. President of the Louisiana State senate, Cameron Henry, spoke with WWL's Tommy Tucker about what changes were necessary:
"We don't look at something for just this year, we look at three years down the road and see how much this will cost then."
Senator Henry says making changes like the one Governor Landry proposed seems okay at first, but tend to have a snowball effect later on.
The more surprising detail is that the bill may not cover as many students as residents may think.
Will every parent in the state be able to use that tax money for private schooling?
"Not even close", says Senator Henry. "The program starts with those kids already on the vouchers, giving them a chance to choose private education and have options beyond failing schools. So, those kids will be the first ones and may be the only ones."
The Senator says much will depend on the rollout, and how much is allocated from the onset. This will determine how much the state is able to handle fiscally beyond the kids already in the voucher program.
