LOUISIANA — The Louisiana Giving All True Opportunity to Rise (LA GATOR) scholarship program can potentially assist families in funding their children's education. However, families may face challenges if no local schools accept it, especially in districts or parishes lacking school options.
Last year, Governor Jeff Landry signed a bill to create this tax-funded grant program, which is designed to help cover the costs of private education for families who may struggle to afford it, according to proponents of the program. To read KATC's past coverage on this, click here.
The Louisiana Department of Education reported receiving 40,000 student applications for the program, with 35,000 students deemed eligible. However, according to The Advocate, some students may still face challenges in accessing the program.
The availability of private schools varies across parishes. While Lafayette Parish offers more than six school options, surrounding areas have fewer choices. In St. Landry, Iberia, St. Mary, Acadia, and Vermilion Parishes, there are two to five private school options available.
Evangeline Parish lacks private schools, and St. Martin and Jefferson Davis Parishes have only one.
This means that if a family is approved for funding, there might not be a school in their district or parish that will accept LA GATOR.
Governor Landry is proposing $93.5 million for the LA GATOR program for the next school year, which would help provide students with tutoring, textbooks, tuition, and other educational resources.
Applications for the LA GATOR program closed in April, and the funding is currently pending approval in the Louisiana State Legislature.
To read more about the program's status and for more information, click here.
