Early High School Graduation Program Abandoned

Plans to create a statewide program that would give college tuition grants to Louisiana students who graduate early from high school have been scrapped.

The scholarship program was approved by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education last year in the state's education financing formula, with expectations it would begin in the 2013-14 school year.

But Superintendent of Education John White didn't include the program in his proposal to BESE for next year's school funding formula. He said Thursday that his department has no plans to move ahead with creating the program.

Lawmakers had bristled at the proposal, saying it hadn't gotten proper legislative review. Also, a district court judge found that it was inappropriate to finance programs outside of public schools through the state's education funding formula.