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understanding the
voucher
program
by jannean dixon, m.ed. w hen i was a child, i thought that when i grew up, i would just be able to send my kids to
school
each morning and then go to work. easy peasy! now that i?m a mom with children of my own, i know what a stressful, frustrating situation choosing a
school
can be. we have so many
school
options in our area: public, private, parochial, charter, magnet, and virtual. while paid
school
ing was once reserved for those families who could pay all of the tuition up front, in cash, the
voucher
system is now making it possible for more families to attend private
school
s. what are
voucher
s? the term ?
voucher
s? refers to the louisiana state scholarship
program
. started in new orleans, the
program
assists thousands of students statewide by paying for non-public
school
tuition. the louisiana state scholarship
program
, or
voucher
system, was created to give families
school
choice. families whose children attend a failing
school
can apply for a scholarship. research indicates that students in the
program
are growing academically faster than the state average. the percentage of louisiana students graduating from high
school
and earning an 18 or better on the act has more than doubled in the last three years.
school
principal, linda stone, praises the
program
for allowing students who may otherwise not have an opportunity to attend a private
school
, to have that chance. how can your child get a
voucher
? students are awarded
voucher
s through an application and lottery process. eligibility requirements for families include being a louisiana resident, having a household income that does not exceed 250 percent of the federal poverty line, and either entering kindergarten or currently enrolled in a
school
with a c, d, or f rating. what are the benefits? there are many positive aspects to the
voucher
system. for instance, the
voucher
system gives you and your child the opportunity to have a choice of
school
s that may better meet his or her needs. also, once your child is accepted to the
program
, he or she can request transfer to another
school
accepting
voucher
s. finally, your child will also receive access to
school
s that may emphasize his or her interests. 7 8 b r p a r e n t s . c o m | j a n u a r y 2 0 1 9
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