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Louisiana’s new education savings account program will debut in August 2025, but plenty of work remains before it becomes a universal program for Pelican State K-12 students. 
The Louisiana Giving All True Opportunity to Rise Scholarship Program was signed into law by Gov. Jeff Landry on June 19 and provides educational savings accounts to parents so they can have more choice in what school their children will attend.
The funds can also be used for tutors, online school tuition, curriculum or even to fund a hybrid program where a student attends a private school part time. 
Senate Bill 313, authored by Sen. Rick Edmonds, R-Baton Rouge, will replace the Student Scholarships for Educational Excellence Program after the 2024-2025 school year. 
Phase one of the GATOR initiative will prioritize students who participated in the SSEE program. 
Phase two will then arrange for children entering kindergarten and students who were enrolled in public school the previous year. All three phases, but especially phase three, will help families at or below 250% of the federal poverty line. 
State Superintendent Cade Brumley says the start of the final two phases is still yet to be decided. 
“It may take a year, two years, three years, it just depends on the appropriations allocated for the program,” Brumley told The Center Square. 
Brumley also specified that the program is completely funded by state appropriations that are separate from the Minimum Foundation Program formula, which calculates equitable distribution of K-12 funds to school districts.
The Legislature will provide an annual line item allocated for GATOR scholarships, with the number of students served dependent on the appropriations. 
“One of the things that was said many times is that this program will be a program of runaway spending,” Brumley said. “But the only way the program can grow is if the Legislature allocates the funding for that to happen. The Legislature through the appropriation process is in complete control of that rope.”
Before phase one can begin in the fall of 2025, Brumley says the Louisiana State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education will have to promulgate specific rules around eligibility, dollar amounts, program providers and any other technical processes. Brumley’s office will start making those recommendations this fall. 
“You can look at it like the state Legislature said ‘Hey, here is the game that has to be played’ and then the state board of education has to go in and write the specific rules for that game,” Brumley said. 
EdChoice, a national organization, and the Pelican Institute, a Louisiana institution, both supported the GATOR program. Nathan Sanders, the policy and advocacy director of EdChoice, says Louisiana is the 12th state to go universal. 
Sanders also addressed the issues private schools could face with high demand. He said private schools and charters are still allowed to maintain their autonomy when it comes to enrollment and admissions. 
“We’ve seen pretty decent growth with all these states, but you never really see schools busting at the seams,” Sanders told The Center Square. “At the end of the day, parents are gonna find an option and data shows growth will happen and parents will have even more options down the road.”
The Louisiana Federation of Teachers put out a statement saying the GATOR program is fiscally irresponsible and will devastate the public school system by diverting public dollars to private schools.  
Erin Bendily, the vice president of policy and strategy at Pelican Institute, thinks a big reason teachers are vocalizing a problem with GATOR is because it will hold them accountable to a higher standard.  
“It boils down to competition. Now they are going to have to work extra hard to earn the privilege to serve kids and families in their communities,” Bendily told The Center Square. “This should not be seen as an anti-public school policy. This is a pro-child policy.”
Sanders believes it’s a matter of educating teachers and families on the importance of the bill.
“It’s going to be up to everyone to educate how the program works, how to apply, but over the years it will be more accepted,” Sanders said.

For the ninth consecutive year, the Louisiana Community and Technical College System has announced that it will not increase tuition costs and mandatory fees for the upcoming 2024-2025 academic year.
In a unanimous decision at Wednesday's LCTCS Board of Supervisors' Executive Committee meeting, the recommendation to maintain the current 2023–2024 tuition — continuing the system's commitment to tuition affordability, access to academic and workforce training, and workforce development — was approved.
As rising costs become unmanageable for many Americans, the tuition freeze seeks to ease the unprecedented financial strain many students and families face as they pursue workforce advancement and career opportunities through higher education. "Financial hardship should not be an immutable barrier to students who are eager to pursue a college credential," said LCTCS Board of Supervisors Chair Willie Mount. "We are here to support those students' journeys and empower them to reach their fullest potential."
In addition to freezing tuition for Louisiana's community and technical colleges, the doard encouraged colleges to explore fundraising initiatives and promote opportunities for financial aid, like the M.J. Foster Promise Program, open for applications as of June 1, 2024. The M.J. Foster Promise award provides financial assistance to eligible students who are enrolled in two-year, public post-secondary institutions and accredited proprietary schools and who are pursuing an associate degree or shorter-term credential aligned with Louisiana's workforce priorities. Such programs include training for high-value, in-demand careers such as construction, healthcare, information technology, manufacturing, and transportation.
"Providing students with high-quality programs that serve them and serve Louisiana well has always been our priority," said Dr. Monty Sullivan, LCTCS President. "Keeping tuition affordable for nearly a decade sends a clear message that we're doing our part to provide an affordable, top-quality college education with clear pathways that lead to advanced degrees and in-demand jobs. With our enrollment returning to pre-pandemic numbers, our colleges are lifting the citizens of Louisiana through affordable access and building an economy that will thrive."

Lady Amelia Windsor presented the Golden Gorilla Award for efforts in conservation to faculty and students from Nicholls State University’s Department of Mass Communication at the Biodiversity Ball at the Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh.
The award was in recognition of the first projects completed by the department’s newly formed Nancy Sanderson Matherne Institute for Global Communication. 
The team worked on a “Tale of Two Habitats,” aiming to highlight similarities between global conservation efforts and open a door to the global conservation conversation. This work also introduced the Cross River Gorilla Project, a UK-based charity focused on protecting the critically endangered Cross River Gorillas in Cameroon, to a South Louisiana audience.
Mass communication students and faculty who were part of the campaign traveled to the United Kingdom to present their work. The team attended the Biodiversity Ball, which brought conservationists, activists, academics, and university students together to review the research from Students Against Species Extinction, a volunteer-based group of students from three countries over two continents. Students studying law, marine biology, zoology, media and mass communication, from Newcastle University, The University of Edinburgh and Nicholls State University presented their work at the gala.
Nicholls State University’s Nancy Sanderson Matherne Institute for Global Communication is a program that connects Nicholls to the world by providing a global communications structure that will aid its local community, faculty, staff and students. The institute was created with funds provided by Dr. Brian Matherne, a Houma physician, and his daughter Kellie Daniels, a lecturer in public relations and corporate communications at Newcastle University in England. The Institute honors Dr. Matherne’s mother, Nancy Sanderson Matherne, a United Kingdom native, long-time Terrebonne Parish resident and the first female member of Terrebonne Parish School Board.
Kellie Daniels is a founder of SASE and is a member of the board of directors for CRGP, serving as a communication consultant for the charity. To learn more about the CRGP, visit www.crossrivergorillaproject.co.uk. 

Forty-three of 107 Morganza to the Gulf projects are in construction, a Louisiana coastal restoration board said Wednesday during a briefing.
The $1.76 billion effort, says the Coastal Protection & Restoration Authority Board, includes $1.2 billion of local and state investment. Work in the hurricane and storm damage risk area will improve of earthen levees, flood gates, environmental water control structures, road and railroad gates, and fronting protection for existing pump stations.
The area stretches approximately 98 miles, from Gibson and U.S. 90 in the west to Lockport and LA 1 to the east.Auto (225p)
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0:58The $38.7 million HNC island restoration project in Terrebonne and phase three of the $6.5 million Bayou Terre Aux Boeufs ridge restoration project in Saint Bernard are in full construction. 
The HNC project is building 35 acres of marsh protection and nourishment on the island to restore its size and nature. The work intends to protect many bird species habitats and provide resiliency to Terrebonne Parish. 
The Bayou Terre Aux Boeuf project planted 10,000 trees and 17,800 tons of armor stone along its ridgeline. 
Phase 1 of the HNC lock complex was completed a couple months ago and the phase two bid has been awarded. The construction is expected to be completed in 2028. 
The HNC Lock Complex is a large-scale hydrologic restoration project that will help limit saltwater intrusion and distribute freshwater within the Terrebonne Basin, allowing for the maintenance of thousands of acres of wetlands, which serve as critical wildlife habitat and nurseries for fisheries.
The Bayou Petit Caillou and Bayou Grand Caillou floodgate improvements were also recently completed. The Bush and Placid floodgates are being constructed. 
Multiple levee systems in North Lafourche are still in discussion, but are trying to work around complicated oil and gas pipelines in the area. Hurricanes have also prolonged the design and construction of levees and flood walls in both North and South Lafourche. 
The board is trying to add a Larose floodgate that is estimated to cost $36 million to prevent flooding in Golden Meadow.