The game is changing in Louisiana politics. Starting in January, Louisiana Republicans will hold the Governor’s Mansion, super-majorities in both State Legislative chambers, and a large majority of the BESE Board. So, Louisiana citizens should expect a major shift in the state’s public policy.

One area on everyone’s minds is education. During John Bel Edwards’ tenure as Governor, Louisiana has consistently ranked as one of the worst US states when it comes to educational achievement, with little positive movement evident.

Fortunately, there is some light on the horizon when it comes to Louisiana’s schools. In the 2023 Legislative session, the State Legislature passed a bill to remedy reading deficiencies for 3^rd grade students in Louisiana students. What’s more, the State Legislature proposed multiple bills that would have created Education Savings Account (ESA) programs for K-12 students in Louisiana. Unfortunately, none of the bills made it past the Governor’s pen–including two bills Governor Edwards vetoed back in 2022.

For those who are unfamiliar, Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) are a government-funded savings account that parents can use to pay for their children’s educational expenses. The educational non-profit center Edchoice has a brief YouTube video that explains what an ESA is:

One of the biggest proponents for ESAs in Louisiana is State Superintendent Cade Brumley. Brumley has gone before the State Legislature to promote ESA legislation and also penned an op-ed in The Times Picayune in favor of ESAs several months ago. Brumley succinctly pointed out the benefits of ESAs in his op-ed:

“With ESAs, funds are deposited into a state-operated account for each student and debited for options which could include tuition, books, technology, special needs providers or tutoring. Educational quality must be assured and could be measured by parent surveys, learner satisfaction and academic assessments in key areas like reading and math. ESAs provide choice for all families, regardless of income or ZIP code … Forward-thinking states are adopting innovative choice policies for families. Arizona, Iowa, Utah and West Virginia now have ESAs. Arkansas just adopted them. Nearby states like Texas, Florida and Oklahoma have ESA bills moving through their state legislatures.”

Several states in the South have enacted K-12 grade ESA programs—including Florida, North Carolina, and Tennessee. All of these states rank higher than Louisiana in educational rankings, and Louisiana could pick up a thing or two from these other states when it comes to Educational freedom.

Now, Louisiana is not the worst state when it comes to educational freedom. Our state ranks #18 in the country in the Heritage Foundation‘s 2023 Education Freedom Report Card. However, that still is a 9 point drop from the state’s #9 spot last year in this ranking.

Moving forward, Louisiana has two options regarding education. Option 1: our state can either keep falling behind neighboring states in terms of education quality and educational freedom. Option 2: support parental rights and educational freedom by implementing ESAs and other innovative ideas.

The good news is that Louisianans now have a governor, state legislature, and Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) who appear committed to supporting parental rights and school choice. So, option 2 is very much on the table for the future of Louisiana education.

We should all look forward to a day where Louisiana students are no longer subject to Leftist indoctrination. We should all look forward to the day where Louisiana students are instead prepared with the necessary skills to succeed in the workforce. Fortunately, that day may come very soon.