Louisiana Families Push for Stronger School Choice at Solutions Summit

Erin Bendily from the Pelican Institute led a sharp conversation at the Solutions Summit about school choice and the direction of K-12 education in Louisiana. She opened with the Gator Scholarship Program, which now sits in its application season for the 2026–2027 school year. Families across the state want answers about funding, availability, and long-term stability. Thousands of applicants already stepped forward, and lawmakers now face a clear choice: honor the commitment they made to parents or slow down the program’s growth. Bendily argued that lawmakers created this program with the promise of real opportunity, and families want that promise to hold. She noted that most applicants came from groups the state already funds through the public school system. Those families want the power to decide where their children learn, and the scholarship gives them that power.