Advocate columnist Quin Hillyer took to the editorial page Sunday to highlight the nearly 40,000 students who have applied for LA GATOR scholarships in the program’s first year. Legislators should take note, he writes, that “parents want, and deserve, the largest say in their children’s education — and in their children’s upbringing in general.”

He goes on to say:

“Let’s not get into the weeds of the state budget or how many schools will open scholarship spots. The larger point here isn’t to parse the details, but to see the big picture. The level of parental interest in LA GATOR is phenomenal. This interest in nonpublic-school scholarships comes even as Louisiana public schools are significantly improving — a credit to the current leadership’s “back to basics” approach — and even as about 150 public charter schools also operate in Louisiana, with many of them thriving.

“What matters to individual parents, therefore, isn’t so much the aggregate statistics as it is the perception of what is best for the individual needs of their children.”

Quin is right: legislators should take note of how parents – their constituents, it’s worth highlighting – stepped up in huge numbers to raise their hands and ask for a different option. LA GATOR should be fully funded and education dollars should follow every child to the school that fits him or her best.

Read (and share!) the entire article here: https://www.nola.com/opinions/quin_hillyer/gator-school-choice-scholarship-louisiana-parents-rights/article_7191e582-55be-4fd1-b31c-92cc4faa1a06.html

To learn more about Pelican Institute’s vision for “A School That Fits,” click here! (Link to a school that fits website)