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Senate adopts bill letting some private pre-K programs meet standards through accreditation, amid Title I concerns
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Summary
The Louisiana Senate on April 14 passed SB 441 to allow certain private pre-kindergarten programs to satisfy minimum standards through accredited third-party programs or group accountability, after adopting several amendments and brief debate over potential impacts on Title I public schools.
The Louisiana Senate passed Senate Bill 441 on final reading April 14, a measure that lets some private pre-kindergarten providers meet the Legislature's minimum standards through approved accreditation pathways instead of direct oversight by the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE).
Senator Mizell, the bill's sponsor, described the measure as "the bill that we've all talked about a lot," saying the amendments create options for private schools to use recognized accreditation programs to demonstrate compliance without reducing safety or student well-being. "It allows for an equal accrediting, basically, of private schools that are already members of an accreditation program that recognizes those minimum standards," Mizell said.
The adopted amendment set (No. 2,063) permits private schools that participate in approved accreditation programs to satisfy the bill's minimum standards, and it also creates an option for small schools to form a group accountability arrangement, subject to BESE approval. Mizell said the changes were intended to keep the standards intact while offering alternatives to on-site BESE oversight.
Senator Edmonds, who brought other language back into the bill, said the restored text reflected language previously removed in 2009. "This language was stricken in 04/2009, so all it does is return the exact language back that's necessary for BESE," Edmonds said during debate; his amendment was adopted without objection.
Not all senators were satisfied that the bill's changes would have no ripple effects for public schools that serve vulnerable students. One senator raised an email-based concern that expanding pre-K in certain public schools could trigger Title I funding supplanting rules and "be an unfunded mandate that would kill pre-K and Title I schools." Mizell responded that the bill focused on nonpublic schools and she would discuss the funding implications afterward, saying, "I'd be happy to talk to you about this afterward, but we really centered on the non-public schools."
The bill's sponsor thanked Department of Education staff for their work on the bill and urged final passage. The Senate voted to pass SB 441 on final reading by a recorded voice/machine vote of 35 yays and 0 nays.
The measure as amended authorizes alternatives to direct BESE oversight for certain private pre-kindergarten programs but retains BESE's role in confirming that accreditation or group-accountability options meet the statutory minimum standards. The next procedural step is enrollment and any administrative implementation by BESE and the Department of Education.
