Editor’s Note: a guest post by Nathan Sanders, a native of Walker, LA. and a policy and advocacy director at EdChoice, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, nonpartisan organization working to advance educational freedom and choice for all students as a pathway to successful lives and a stronger society.

The 2025 legislative session ended with a clear message to thousands of Louisiana families: the help you asked for isn’t coming – at least not yet.

Nearly 40,000 families applied for the GATOR Scholarship Program, designed to help students access education that fits them best. But the Senate, led by President Cameron Henry, cut $50 million from the proposed funding. What’s left–$43.5 million shifted from the old voucher program–will only cover about 6,000 students.

Instead of explaining the cut, some lawmakers pivoted to scare tactics and misleading claims. The conversation shifted from, “why wasn’t this funded?” to ,“should we be afraid of it?”

In true Louisiana fashion, it felt like they were saying: beware the Rougarou.

Let’s set the record straight.

Claim: “Of the nearly 40,000 applications submitted, approximately 30,000 came from students already in private schools.”
— Rep. Jack McFarland

This figure is misleading. It lumps together students who weren’t in public school at the time of application, but that doesn’t mean they’re all from private school backgrounds. In fact:

• 5,195 were already on the state’s voucher program and applied to continue under GATOR.
• 4,480 were incoming kindergartners who hadn’t attended any school yet.
• 10,164 public school students seeking better options.

That’s 19,839 students, almost half whom were either in public school, just starting school, or already receiving public support. The idea that this is just a handout to private school families isn’t backed by the data.

Claim: “We need assurances that [the vouchers] are addressing the specific needs of those in failing [public] schools before we commit more taxpayer dollars.”
— Rep. Jack McFarland

That logic is like locking people in a burning building until you’re sure it’s safe outside.

Families are already giving us the clearest assurance there is. Nearly 40,000 applied. And 81% were at or below 250% of the federal poverty level. These aren’t elites gaming the system, they’re working parents looking for a lifeline.

Polls show families want options, even if they can’t access them. According to EdChoice’s 2024 Schooling in America survey, only 30% of parents would choose their local public school if given the option. But 80% of students are enrolled in one. Meanwhile, 36% would prefer private school, yet only 9% attend one. Fourteen percent would choose homeschooling, but just 5% do.

Families want something different. The system isn’t built to let them choose it. That’s what GATOR was designed to fix.

And it’s not just emotion driving the demand. EdChoice’s 2024 123s of School Choice reviewed 188 studies on programs like GATOR. Eighty-four percent showed positive outcomes. Only 6% showed negative effects. That includes gains in academic achievement, public school performance, parent satisfaction, and even civic outcomes.

The question isn’t whether families in struggling schools need help, they’re telling us they do. The question is whether Louisiana will listen to them and let them choose the best education for their children.

Claim: “If we’re going to do it, we don’t need to end up like some of the other states where the financial cost ends up outweighing the benefits.”
— Rep. Jack McFarland

Let’s look at the state critics love to mention: Arizona.

In the two years since Arizona expanded its ESA program universally, the state has seen no financial collapse. In 2022–2023, Arizona ran a $2 billion surplus even with a surge in ESA enrollment. In 2023–2024, ESA costs came in $92 million over projections but public school costs dropped by $93 million. Net savings. The state’s broader budget deficit that year had nothing to do with education spending.

Claim: “We don’t want this to turn into… people creating schools just for [LA GATOR]…”
— Sen. Cameron Henry

That mindset stifles innovation.

GATOR was never just about shifting kids from public to private schools. It was about unlocking new models– microschools, homeschool co-ops, learning pods, online programs, and more.

Imagine you’re a family in Concordia Parish. The local public school isn’t working, and there’s no private school nearby. But a new microschool opens with five students, and it’s exactly what your child needs. Why shouldn’t that be a real option?

This isn’t theoretical. It’s already happening. EdChoice’s new report, The Supply Side of ESAs, shows private school growth in states like Arizona and Florida, even as national numbers stay flat. In one year, Arizona’s participating ESA providers grew from 510 to 661, including microschools, co-ops, and online programs. Families are using ESAs to customize education with over 100 types of services.

If families are demanding new models, the system should respond, not restrict. Limiting GATOR to only “established” institutions blocks the very innovation the program was created to support.

We can keep letting the Rougarou scare us into standing still, or we can finally trust families to choose what’s best for their kids.