Jindal and His Vouchers
As Bobby Jindal basks in the glow of VP speculation, his school voucher plan continues to garner national, as well – just not the positive kind.
From a Washington Post blog:
One of those schools is the church-affiliated New Living Word School, which was approved to increase its student enrollment from 122 to 315 — even though it doesn’t have the space, computers or the teachers to handle the students, according to the News-Star.
This means that this school will have 100 more voucher slots than any other school in Louisiana. The state Department of Education chose schools to qualify for vouchers without visiting any campuses.
According to the News-Star, Rev. Jerry Baldwin, the school’s principal and pastor of New Living Word Ministries, said that construction will begin this summer on a metal school building though he isn’t sure when it will be done. Current students now attend class in rooms used by the church’s Sunday school. If the new building is finished by the fall, he said, new students can hold class in the church gym.
The school’s mission, according to its Web site, is: “The mission of NLWM School is to provide a foundation built on biblical principles that will create an atmosphere for scholastic advancement and spiritual development.”
The school, Baldwin was quoted as saying, is moving forward “on faith.”
Education historian Diane Ravitch also reported on her blog that another school, the Eternity Christian Academy in Calcasieu Parish, will benefit from the voucher program. It now enrolls 14 students but has said it will take in 135 new students, a move that will result in some $1 million in taxpayer funds.
Posted on June 1, 2012, in Uncategorized and tagged Bobby Jindal, conservative, education, Education Reform, embarrassing, government, jindal, louisiana, Mittens Romney, political, politics, reform, republicans, Romney, state. Bookmark the permalink. 5 Comments.
I cant’ believe a governor is gutsy enough to do this! I’m moving to Louisiana! I hope this idea spreads like wildfire and does away with the third world corrupt education system parents now struggle to avoid.
yes, that’s so American isn’ it (not)
Isn’t it interesting that conservatives claim that:
1) Any money given to Planned Parenthood for women’s health care is in fact using taxpayer funds indirectly funding abortions, despite the restrictions preventing any use of the money for abortion-related activity.
2) We shouldn’t think that giving public funds to church-run schools is using taxpayer funds to indirect fund certain favored religions, because there are restrictions forbidding such uses.
I’m also going to go out on a limb here, and speculate that none of the schools qualifying to receive vouchers are run by Muslim religious entities. Funny how only certain favored religions and viewpoints need apply, isn’t it?
The Gov having opened the door to paying public money to churches and private schools to educate children, the next development is obvious: some schools run by scientologists, wiccans and even some (gasp) mosques are going to apply for voucher students. Jindal, White et al are going to be hard-pressed to refuse them. There will be schools that employ crazy and brutal tactics to deal with children — whippings, putting them in closets, public shamings, name-calling — and the Gov will be hard-pressed to refuse them. Sorry, children. It was what your governor thought was best.
Pingback: Bobby Jindal’s Voucher Program: Public Dollars Will Enrich and Fund Radical, Fringe “Religious” Schools « CenLamar