Will the legislature fund its promise?

The GATOR Scholarship Program has quickly become one of the most talked-about education issues in Louisiana. The reason is simple: families want it, and the state hasn’t yet decided how far it’s willing to go to meet that demand.

In 2025, tens of thousands of families applied for GATOR scholarships for the 2025–26 school year. That level of interest made it clear that this program isn’t a niche idea, it’s something many parents see as a real option for their children. But from the start, we all knew the number of scholarships awarded would come down to funding.

In his executive budgets, Governor Jeff Landry has repeatedly signaled strong support for the program. For its first year, the administration requested a little more than $93 million, an amount that education officials said could serve around 12,000 students statewide. That request reflected the governor’s broader push to expand education choice and give families more flexibility in how and where their children learn.

The Legislature ultimately took a more reserved approach. Lawmakers approved $43.5 million for the program, less than half of what was requested. That funding level is expected to cover about 6,000 students, leaving many eligible applicants without scholarships, at least for now. The gap between the request and the final appropriation has turned GATOR into a recurring budget question, not a one-year debate.

All of this is happening at a time when Louisiana’s education system is finally seeing positive momentum. In 2025, the state received national attention for improvements on NAEP scores and climbed again in national education rankings. We must continue to invest in and diversify education funding in Louisiana to make sure all children are able to receive an education that fits their needs.

That’s why the GATOR funding debate matters. This isn’t just about one program or one budget year. It’s about the future of Louisiana children. How much is the Legislature willing to spend to improve educational outcomes for Louisiana children and to keep building on the progress the state has worked so hard to achieve?