Judge allows adoption of voucher plan

BATON ROUGE, LA (WAFB) - District Court Judge Tim Kelly refused to block the adoption of the statewide voucher plan Tuesday.

Two teacher unions and the Louisiana School Board Association filed a lawsuit asking the judge to temporarily stop the Louisiana Department of Education from starting the voucher plan.

The state argued the judge did not have the jurisdiction to do that and Kelly agreed.

"What the judge seemed to say very clearly is that given the documentation filed by the superintendent of education and the chief of administration that he has no foundation to grant a preliminary injunction," said Stephen Monaghan with the Louisiana Federation of Teachers. "We still believe there's questions about that and we will consider legal remedies on whether or not we will appeal that decision."

"The issue of the injunction would create a deficit and the court cannot exercise that jurisdiction over it," said Jimmy Faircloth, attorney for the state of Louisiana. "So, I think the law was very, very clear. I think that Judge Kelly was very accommodating in that he allowed everybody to argue fully and they got to test the bounds of their arguments."

So, the first vouchers should be going out around the first week in August.

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