Judge halts voucher program funding
by Katie Norwood - posted Friday, December 7th, 2012 @ 12:56 pm

Franklin Parish School Board Superintendent Lanny Johnson was not optimistic about the outcome of a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Governor Bobby Jindal's voucher program, but a judge ruled earlier this week in favor of Franklin Parish and the 42 other districts that filed the suit.

Nineteenth Judicial District Court Judge Timothy Kelley ruled that it is unconstitutional to fund non-public schools through the state's school funding formula — the Minimum Foundation Program (MFP). Kelley's ruling agreed with the Louisiana Federation of Teachers and other plaintiffs, that one of Jindal's signature reforms, Act 2 of the 2012 legislature, cannot use MFP dollars to pay for non-public schools and various other school options.

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