Parents can start signing up for voucher program | Events

Parents can start  applying for vouchers Tuesday, May 22, but Louisiana Department of Education officials say the  applications won't be available online until this afternoon. 

You can get applications at www.louisianaschools.net and at participating schools.  The deadline to apply is June 29.

Governor Bobby Jindal recently signed House Bill 976 into law.  Among other options, the legislation provides state-funded scholarships to students attending C, D, and F schools to enroll in state-approved nonpublic schools or A and B public schools outside their district or attendance zone. 

Officials say they will identify scholarship recipients through a prioritized lottery process. Applicants will be notified in July.

To be eligible, a child must have been enrolled in a public school during the 2011-2012 school year that was labeled C, D or F, unless a student is entering kindergarten for the first time in the 2012-2013 school year. 

• Students must also be residents of Louisiana and meet income eligibility requirements (family income in 2011 cannot exceed 250% of the federal poverty guidelines).
• Continuing students who were awarded a scholarship in the previous year are also eligible.

"We have an obligation to give all our students their best chance to thrive in school and in life," State Superintendent of Education John White said.  "Through this program and process, we intend to give more of our children the option to attend high-quality schools, beginning with students who have been trapped in some of our lowest-performing schools."

About 950 out of 1,300 schools, or 71.5 percent of Louisiana public schools, with a collective enrollment of approximately 450,000 students, earned Cs, Ds, or Fs in 2011. Priority will be given to students attending D and F schools.

For more information about the scholarship program, please visit www.louisianaschools.net or call the Louisiana Department of Education’s Help Center at 1-877-453-2721.