The application window for the new LA GATOR program is now open.
It opened at 9:00 a.m. Saturday morning, and it closes April 15th.
LA GATOR — Louisiana Giving All True Opportunity to Rise — is the state’s new program that provides education scholarship accounts to families.
Besides being Louisiana residents, students need to meet one of these requirements.
“They participated in the Louisiana Scholarship program during the previous year, they are entering kindergarten, they are enrolled in a Louisiana public school during the previous year, or they are a family with a total income at or below 250% of the federal poverty guidelines,” says Germain Gilson, assistant superintendent of the office of school choice at the Louisiana Department of Education.
Gilson says the program will only have a limited amount of money, which will be determined by the legislature in the upcoming budget session, and the money will be awarded on a priority basis.
“The Louisiana Scholarship Program, which was Louisiana’s voucher program as it was commonly called, does sunset June 30th of 2025. And as written in this bill, those students are a priority,” says Gilson. “After that would come students with disabilities (then) students who are at 250% below the poverty level.”
Gilson says the money does not necessarily have to be used for private school tuition.
“Families can also use these funds for tutoring and educational therapies, for textbooks and different sources of curricula, or dual enrollment courses or uniforms,” Gilson says. “These funds actually will allow families to tailor the education that they’ve decided that’s best for their child.”
Students who will be attending public school are ineligible for the LA GATOR program.
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