Group: Grade all schools
Private schools that accept students who get state aid should face the same scrutiny as public schools, including annual letter grades, officials of the Louisiana Budget Project said in a report released Tuesday.
“A dramatic expansion of private school vouchers, like what the governor is proposing, demands an equally strong commitment to accountability and transparency,” the report says.
The group says it does independent, nonpartisan research on state fiscal issues and their impact on families and businesses. It is part of the Louisiana Association of Nonprofit Organizations. Last year the group was part of a coalition that included teacher unions and called for a $940 million tax increase to ease state budget problems.
Though no legislation has been filed, Gov. Bobby Jindal has proposed a major expansion of the state’s program for low-income students to attend private or parochial schools.
Jindal wants the change to apply to students attending “C,” “D” and “F” schools, as rated by the state Department of Education.
The governor calls the aid “scholarships,” and says they can help students escape failing schools.
Opponents call the assistance “vouchers” and say they drain vital dollars from public schools.
State Superintendent of Education John White, who is Jindal’s top public schools lieutenant, said last week that it makes no sense to give private and parochial schools letter grades because a relatively small number of students getting state aid would be attending.
But the report says private schools accepting students that get the aid should be given annual letter grades and those that “fail to make the grade” should be dropped from the program.
The review also noted that, under Jindal’s plan, 380,000 students would be eligible for the aid in a state where about 122,000 students attend private schools.
It says priority should be given to students in “F” schools and that, only after those are served should students in “D” and “C” schools qualify for the aid.
The study also noted that charter schools, which are public schools run by independent boards, are required to enroll a percentage of at-risk students, submit annual reports detailing academic progress and show gains to retain their authorization.
Jan Moller, director of the group, said Indiana uses a system that includes private schools with traditional public schools in rating student performance. “I think you have to have transparency and accountability across the board for parents to make a truly informed choice,” Moller said.
White has said the Jindal administration supports the idea of students who get the aid taking the same state skills tests as public school students, such as LEAP and iLEAP.
Kyle Plotkin, Jindal’s director of communications, said the Louisiana Budget Project stance differs fundamentally from the governor.
“We think parents know best,” Plotkin said Tuesday.