Three Calcasieu schools participating in voucher program
Last Modified: Wednesday, May 23, 2012 12:39 PM
By Ashley Withers / American Press
Three Calcasieu Parish schools will participate in the statewide voucher program for the 2012-2013 school year, the Louisiana Department of Education announced Tuesday. The participating schools are St. Theodore Holy Family Catholic School, Our Lady’s School, and Eternity Christian Academy.
In Beauregard Parish, BeauVer Christian will participate.
No schools in Allen Parish, Cameron Parish, Jeff Davis Parish or Vernon Parish will participate.
These schools will be a part of the inaugural year of the Louisiana Scholarship Program, the controversial voucher system approved by the Legislature earlier this year.
To be eligible, a child must have been enrolled in a public school, a C, D, or F-rated public school, during the 2011-2012 school year, 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.
The program is designed to give students a choice beyond their zoned school and all private schools and A and B public schools were invited to apply and participate.
For the next school year, 125 schools from 33 parishes across the state have qualified to participate in the program, however, only one of the participating schools is a public school.
There are about 5,000 slots for students available, but White said he expects around 2,000 students to be accepted into the program.
“This is a promising start. In the short term, it will provide more options for families, but in the long-term we know we will have to expand this further to provide even more options,” White said. “I’m very thankful to the legislature and the Governor for having extended the opportunity.”
The application process opened Tuesday for eligible families. Applications will be accepted until June 29.
Applications are available online and on-site at any participating school.
Applications are available online at www.louisianaschools.net/topics/scholarships_for_excellence.html or www.LAK-12SP.com and on-site at any participating school.
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