Law enforcement is hoping for lawmakers to spend more money on education to keep kids out of trouble - WAFB

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - This upcoming session the Education Committee will be focusing on trying to improve students’ future, and lawmakers believe they will have the extra money to do that.

Louisiana’s general fund is budgeting at $8.5 million, along with federal COVID aid of $1.4 billion and $700 million leftover from last year.

“For the first time in 9 years, the state is like flushed with cash and it’s partly because of the recovery of hurricanes, partly what we saw after Katrina. Partly, what the federal government is doing as far as infusion cash through various different pots of money,” says Representative Tanner Magee who sits on the Education Committee.

However, as lawmakers start planning, law enforcement leaders are hoping they will look into implementing more programs to help kids stay in school. They say less time on the street means they’re less likely to get in trouble.

“So, if you look at the COVID numbers from 2020 to 2021, it’s as if we had four summers back to back to back because kids were out of school, and our numbers rose because they were idle,” explains EBR District Attorney Hillar Moore.

Moore believes in order to keep kids out of trouble, he says there needs to be better school attendance, whether that’s in the classroom learning or giving them extra curriculars after school.

“I think we really need to pay attention to truancy, kids who are highly at risk in school because they are identifying themselves. I mean they are waving their hands at teachers and counselors, say ‘I’m struggling I am having problems…keep me in school.’ Programs that keep these kids in school,” adds Hillar.

Some of the ideas Moore would like to see are more summer programs, getting kids in school at an earlier age, or giving them more workforce opportunities as they get older.

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source: https://www.wafb.com/2022/02/18/law-enforcement-is-hoping-lawmakers-spend-more-money-education-keep-kids-out-trouble/

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