The National Alliance today released the following statement regarding Louisiana’s First Circuit Court of Appeals decision in the case Iberville Parish School Board VS Louisiana State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education and the State of Louisiana through the State Department of Education:
“The decision by Louisiana’s First Circuit Court of Appeals to declare funding for New Type 2 Charter Schools unconstitutional puts the educations of thousands of charter public school students in needless jeopardy. This narrow 3-2 ruling erroneously concludes that these charter schools are ineligible to receive state public school dollars under the Louisiana constitution because they are not part of ‘city or parish school systems.’ This conclusion is based on an erroneous interpretation of the constitution and is unlikely to stand up to scrutiny.
“By stripping funding from New Type 2 Charter Schools, this court decision is also imperiling the future of other long-standing and highly regarded institutions, such as the LSU and Southern Lab Schools, the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts, the Louisiana School for Math, Science and the Arts, and the Office of Juvenile Justice Schools.
“New Type 2 Charter Schools, and these other types of public schools,are a critical part of public education and deserve the full protection of the court.
“We believe this is a politically-motivated decision that is prioritizing the interests of adults over supporting quality public education for students. Louisiana parents deserve the right to seek out the best public education possible for their children and we are firmly committed to protecting that right.”
About the National Alliance for Public Charter SchoolsThe National Alliance for Public Charter Schools is the leading national nonprofit organization committed to advancing the public charter school movement. Our mission is to lead public education to unprecedented levels of academic achievement by fostering a strong charter movement. For more information, please visit www.publiccharters.org
