13 Dec 2024 Policy Wins

In 2024, LA Kids Matter continued to work to create more educational opportunities for students across our state. In 2024, we accomplished the following wins:

In order to deliver every family the choice of school that best fits their needs, Louisiana Kids Matter passed the first universal ESA Program in the state. The ESA award is based on a scale, with low-income and students with special needs receiving more than the affluent, and the program also requires participating schools to ensure students take the state assessment or a norm-referenced test.

As a result of Louisiana Kids Matter’s advocacy, Louisiana became the first state to pass a K-3 math universal screener and a $30M statewide tutoring program embedded in the school day for students not achieving mastery in literacy or math, with over 300,000 students eligible for participation. The team also passed the Steve Carter Tutoring Program to provide students with $1,500 for tutoring in reading and math after-school or over the summer, with $5 million invested and 19,000 students already enrolled.

Louisiana Kids Matter also helped pass legislation to restructure the Workforce Investment Council from 53 members to a working advisory committee. The new advisory committee will develop a job forecast to align the newly passed state accountability system, the most robust accountability system in the country, with industry certifications to ensure students secure a high-wage high-demand job upon graduation from high school or a postsecondary institution.

We look forward to making even further progress in the new year. Stay tuned–we’ll be sharing our legislative goals in early 2025.