NEW ORLEANS, March 19, 2011 -- At a 1pm press conference today, low-income Orleans Parish parents and education reform advocates will call on the state Legislature to expand the state's Student Scholarships for Educational Excellence (SSEE) Program.
Today marks the conclusion of the annual registration period of the Students Scholarship for Educational Excellence Program (SSEE). The SSEE Program is a $7,500 state funded scholarship that allows low-income students attending failing schools in Orleans Parish to attend private schools.
This year's registration, as with each previous registration, was facilitated by the Black Alliance for Educational Options in partnership with the Louisiana Department of Education, which oversees the program. With the list of No Child Left Behind unacceptable schools in New Orleans down to nine, this criterion has shrunk the pool of eligible parents.
Hundreds of parents were made aware during the registration period that their neighborhood school is not currently on the list of failing schools, making them ineligible for the program. Several parents voiced confusion and disappointment regarding program rules given their own dissatisfaction with their neighborhood public schools--in addition to the fact that the school was listed as failing in multiple previous years.
WHAT Parents Call on State to Expand New Orleans Scholarship Program WHO - Shree' Medlock, BAEO National Advocacy Director - Parents denied scholarships in Orleans Parish - Parents with children participating in the SSEE program WHEN Today, Saturday March 19, 2011 1:05 PM WHERE Lindy Boggs Conference Center 2045 Lakefront Drive New Orleans, LA 70122
Please contact Eric B. Lewis at 225.408.9323 or via email at elewis@sableint.net for additional information on the Press Conference.
For more information on the Black Alliance for Educational Options in Louisiana, please visit http://louisiana.baeo.org.
Contact: Eric Lewis 225-408-9323 or Andrew Campanella, 202-276-1303
/PRNewswire -- March 19, 2011/
Louisiana Black Alliance for Educational Options (Louisiana BAEO)
Web site: http://louisiana.baeo.org/
