Hodges now leery of Jindal reform

Back in August (2012) I first posted about Louisiana's voucher program.  One point that those against the initiative pointed out, religious doesn't just mean Christian,,,well seems the first gold star for figuring this out has been awarded,,,

“I actually support funding for teaching the fundamentals of America’s Founding Fathers’ religion, which is Christianity, in public schools or private schools,” the District 64 Representative said Monday.  [We'll argue the religion of the Founders another day.]

[,,,]  Hodges, who represents District 64 on the northwest side of the parish, and another freshman lawmaker in the local delegation, Clay Schexnayder from Dist. 81 in the southwest, voted with the House majority in favor of HB976.

The school funding mechanism, however, did not come up for a vote until the end of the session. By then, a Muslim-based school had applied for support through the new voucher system.

[,,,]  “Unfortunately it will not be limited to the Founders’ religion,” Hodges said. “We need to insure that it does not open the door to fund radical Islam schools. There are a thousand Muslim schools that have sprung up recently. I do not support using public funds for teaching Islam anywhere here in Louisiana.”

[,,,]  The new system does nothing to help public schools improve, Pope said during the session. The Governor’s overhaul is directed at giving students at poor schools a legal way to transfer to the best schools. The problem is that the best schools, including those in Livingston Parish, are usually full, Pope said.

[,,,]  The new system improperly uses public school funding for vouchers to pay tuition to private schools, including those run by religious groups, according to the lawsuit.

The new system also subsidizes home schooling, on-line courses, charter schools not affiliated with local public schools, and college tuition for early graduates, according to the lawsuit.

[,,,]  “I initially supported the bill because I understand the need to address and reform our education system in Louisiana,” Hodges said. “However, once you look at the details of the bill there were more questions than answers about the long term impact these changes could potentially have.  [Shouldn't she have looked at the details before voting??  A bit reckless and negligent in her duties; but I doubt we will see that admission, she would rather hide behind her intolerance.]


Hodges now leery of Jindal reform