BATON ROUGE, LA--(Marketwired - June 06, 2013) - The Black Alliance for Educational Options (BAEO) today applauds the members of the Louisiana State Legislature for the passage of a budget bill that allocates funding for the Louisiana Scholarship Program for the 2013-2014 school year. After weeks of working with legislators, parents and advocates, BAEO joins families in celebrating the nearly 8,000 children who have been awarded scholarships for the coming school year and those who will be able to retain their scholarships.
"BAEO is extremely pleased that state leaders were able to continue to honor the promise of a better education to thousands of Louisiana families by passing a budget that allows them to maintain their participation in the scholarship program," said Kenneth Campbell, President, BAEO. "As we move into the summer months, these parents can rest assured that their children will continue to be afforded this great educational opportunity. We know there is much more work to do, but we are grateful that this major milestone has been achieved."
In the coming weeks BAEO's Louisiana team will be working with parents and advocates to increase support and ensure funding beyond the 2013-2014 school year. "I know I speak on behalf of our families when I say that today is an exciting day; however, we know that the work is not over. Now we must fight even harder to keep this program funded for years to come," said Eric B. Lewis, Louisiana BAEO State Director. "We will continue to stand with parents and advocates to ensure that our state remains committed to the fundamental concepts of providing students with a variety of high-quality educational options and giving low-income and working-class parents both the power and the freedom to choose the educational environment that gives their children the best chance for long-term success."
About BAEO
The mission of the Black Alliance for Educational Options is to increase access to high-quality educational options for Black children by actively supporting transformational education reform initiatives and parental choice policies that empower low-income and working-class Black families.
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