Bossier Schools opposes state Education Savings Accounts. What are ESAs? What you need to know.
Plus: Bossier City street improvements. Where construction stands; what's planned next.
Beyond Bossier
Bossier Schools opposes proposed state Education Savings Accounts. What are ESAs? What you need to know.
Louisiana legislators have proposed legislation for a universal education savings account program in the state. ESAs give families public funding to pay for educational expenses, including tuition at private schools, tutoring, textbooks, uniforms, computers and other education-related devices.
This bill is for those students, and this is to empower their parents.
The legislation authored by Rep. Julie Emerson (R-Carencro) Giving All True Opportunity to Rise Scholarship Program, known as House Bill 745 or the Louisiana GATOR Scholarship Program, would replace an existing voucher program for students in failing schools. There's companion legislation in the state Senate.
"I think a small subset of students who are not necessarily excelling, but they might would excel in a different school or a different situation or with a different curriculum," Emerson said. "And this bill is for those students, and this is to empower their parents to be able to put them in a situation where they can thrive and we can create better education outcomes for our state and for our students here."
How the GATOR Scholarship works
The GATOR Scholarship would be disbursed to parents at 250% of the federal poverty level, $7,550 per year; disabled students at $15,099; and other students at $5,190. Home school students would not be eligible for ESAs.
Gov. Jeff Landry, EdChoice, the Louisiana State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, the Pelican Institute, Americans for Prosperity and the Louisiana Association of Business Educators support the bill.
Bossier Schools oppose the GATOR Scholarship
However, on Tuesday, March 26, the Bossier Parish School Board met in special session to adopt a resolution opposing the proposed state legislation.
"While we appreciate efforts to improve educational opportunities for Louisiana students, we firmly believe that implementing ESAs through the LA GATOR Scholarship Program is not the appropriate solution," Bossier Schools said.
The statement continued:
"First and foremost, the LA GATOR Scholarship Program poses a significant threat to the stability and viability of our public school system. By directly or indirectly diverting public funds from traditional public schools and into private accounts, ESAs undermine the financial resources essential for maintaining high-quality education for all students.
"Furthermore, implementing ESAs through the LA GATOR Scholarship Program raises severe accountability and transparency issues. Unlike traditional public schools, as written, private schools or other educational institutions participating in the ESA program will not be subject to the same rigorous standards and oversight measures of public school systems.
"When considering the referenced term "school choice" as the primary purpose, we ask this: If a charter or private school does not have to give the same tests as public schools, follow the same restrictive laws as public schools, or receive performance scores that are available to the public, how can a parent choose as to which school is best for their children?
"By providing public funds for private school tuition, as has been seen in other states that have implemented ESAs, they would primarily benefit families who can already afford to send their children to private schools while leaving behind students from low-income families and marginalized communities that rely on public schools for their education. This further widens the gap between the haves and have-nots in our state and perpetuates systemic inequalities in access to education.
"We are urging our lawmakers to oppose the LA GATOR Scholarship Program and any legislation that seeks to establish ESAs in Louisiana."
ESAs are the 'most expansive evolution of school choice'
The Public Affairs Research Council, a nonpartisan, nonprofit research organization, believes Education Savings Accounts "are the newest, most expansive evolution of school choice programs in the United States."
"The programs promise to revolutionize how K-12 education is structured, steering public tax dollars to private educational options for students. The Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana has long supported school choice programs, including vouchers and charter schools, and finds potential benefits in creating ESAs."
However, PAR "has concerns" about the program proposed for Louisiana, including the estimated cost and accountability metrics for student achievement.
"The proposed program would be stronger if it focused on students in failing schools, from poorer families or who have disabilities — and if it ensured better data collection for performance analysis."
The program's cost has not been determined. PAR's analysis says that if it were fully funded and implemented, it could cost the state $520 million annually over the long term. The Legislative Fiscal Office says it would cost about $297 million per year.
"The ability of parents to ‘vote with their feet’ adds a strong layer of accountability to Louisiana's proposed ESA program," PAR said in an analysis. "But this does not alleviate the need for the state to keep a watchful eye on how well its program performs and its tax dollars are spent."
– Additional reporting by Steve Wilson/The Center Square
Bossier City street improvements: Where construction stands; what's planned next
Some $70 million of capital improvements are currently underway in Bossier City. City engineer Ben Rauschenbach gave the Bossier City Council an update Tuesday on the progress being made on 10 projects under construction and 16 projects that are in the design and planning stages.
The Walter O. Bigby Carriageway is about 88% complete, and work is getting close to its intersection with Benton Road. He told the Council it is expected to be completed by June or July.
The Tinsley Park parking lot needs about $40,000 worth of work to finish, but the Tinsley dugouts are 100% complete.
Bossier City Municipal Complex security upgrades will begin on April 10.
The Bossier City 2024 street improvements program is about 60% complete.
Airline Drive asphalt overlay is completed except for striping.
Beene Boulevard bridge refresh is 85% complete. "They still have to paint the railings, and we're going to freshen up the lighting," Rauschenbach said.
A city-wide traffic signal upgrade is ongoing.
"We have around 25 signals with the new equipment. It hasn't been energized yet. We're projecting that project to be done by June," Rauschenbach told the Council.
"It's a big project. It's just not something sexy, but for us, that's going to be a game changer. It will allow us to remotely monitor all of our signals, so we'll know when we have a power outage. We'll know what's going on with those signals. It'll bring everything up, from literally having to plug your Atari into it and punch in code to having a modern signalization system using state-of-the-art software and technology."
He also made note of one other project.
"I did want to highlight Carriage Oaks and the drainage improvements there," Rauschenbach added. "I had a meeting out in the rain last week. We've got a good feel for what it is we feel like needs to be done there, and I'll be coming to the council with a proposal on that."
Other projects on the to-do list include:
Brownlee Rd. rehab
Benton Rd. southbound turn lane at Chinaberry
Viking Dr. drainage improvements
Shed Rd. at I-220 street lighting. While residents in the area have been hoping for signal lights at this busy intersection, this project is for street lighting. Even that will be a long-term project. "DOTD has expressed interest in the project using Federal funding. Unfortunately, these funds will not be made available until 2027," Rauschenbach told BossierNow.
In other business, the Council approved the retail sale of high- and low-content alcohol for off-premise consumption at a proposed liquor store at 5520 Shed Road. The store will be adjacent to a drive-thru coffee shop to be built next to the storage facility near the off-ramp from I-220.
Bossier City traffic hassle
The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development says that beginning on Monday, April 1, 2024, the outside (right) lane of LA 3 (Benton Road) northbound just south of Flowerbrook Street in Bossier Parish will be closed.
This lane closure is anticipated to last approximately 30 days and is necessary to allow an outside contractor to install a deceleration lane at the Safe Harbor development.
Deceleration lanes enable a vehicle that is exiting the roadway to decrease its speed to a rate at which it can safely leave the main travel lane.
Bossier City free time calendar
Live music and notable events for your consideration.
March 28: LIVE REVUE: A Radio Broadcast Experience. On the Louisiana Grandstand stage, enjoy a night of paying homage to our deep musical roots, from the famous Hayride nights to the worldwide successes of artists from our region. Experience a live radio broadcast show with top-notch artists: Nick Brumley, Buddy Flett, Presley Haile, Mus Gillum, Braydon Watts, Jesse Rawlinson, and Austin Robison.
March 29: Couples Therapy: A relationship-themed comedy show at the Louisiana Grandstand.
April 2: MANIA -The ABBA Tribute at the Strand Theater, celebrating the iconic Swedish pop group's 50th anniversary.
April 6: Gary Allan in the Paradise Theater at Margaritaville Casino.
April 6: Experience a Nashville-style songswap at the Louisiana Grandstand, headlined by John Baumann (The Panhandlers) and Mike McClure (The Great Divide).
April 12: Shreveport Blues Festival: Tucka, King George & Pokey Bear at the BGA.
April 12: Country music sensations The Castellos at the Louisiana Grandstand.
April 15: The Harlem Globetrotters at the BGA.
April 18: Brent Cobb brings his "Livin' The Dream" Tour to the Louisiana Grandstand.
April 20: Hank Williams Jr. at the BGA.
April 20: Bryan Martin at the Louisiana Grandstand.
May 3: The Cox Family brings Grammy award-winning bluegrass to the Louisiana Grandstand.
May 4: Dylan Leblanc returns to his hometown of Shreveport with his band to promote his newest album release, "Coyote," at the Louisiana Grandstand.
May 17: Marc Broussard and his father, Ted, return to the Louisiana Grandstand. Last year, they packed the house and had an unforgettable show. This year, they'll bring another instrumentalist or two for an even bigger show.
May 25: Better Than Ezra in the Paradise Theater at Margaritaville Casino.
May 31: Jacob Stelly is a Texas sensation with a world-class band as he comes home to family and friends in Bossier City and performs at the Louisiana Grandstand.
June 1: Rick Springfield and Richard Marx in the Paradise Theater at Margaritaville Casino.
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