CenLamar | Est. 2006

Two weeks ago, late on a Friday afternoon, John White, Louisiana’s Superintendent of Education, announced that- as a result of the findings of an independent audit- the New Living Word School in Ruston was being kicked out of the state’s controversial school voucher program. White attempted to put the best possible spin on the story, suggesting that the school’s removal was proof that the Department of Education was committed to accountability. “These findings are evidence that the oversight process is working,” he said, “and that there will be zero tolerance for fiscal mismanagement of taxpayer dollars.” Superintendent White had an advantage…

For what it’s worth, over a year ago, many of us attempted to warn Scott McKay and his team at The Hayride about the serious issues with the New Living Word School in Ruston, Louisiana. As Barbara Leader and others at The News Star reported exhaustively at the time, the largest voucher school in the State of Louisiana appeared to have some major issues that were either swept under the rug or completely ignored. For what it’s worth, I published a few things on my own website about the school, arguing rather forcefully that the school should not have been included in the…

Yesterday, after more than a year of sustained criticism in the state, national, and even international media, Louisiana Superintendent John White (no relation) announced the Department of Education was banning the New Living Word School in Ruston, Louisiana from participating in the so-called Student Scholarships for Educational Excellence Program (the SSEEP), more commonly known as the school voucher program. Under the direction of Governor Bobby Jindal and the majority Republican state legislature, Superintendent White is responsible for rolling out and implementing the most expansive school voucher program in the nation’s history, a program that potentially qualifies as many as 56%…