Louisiana, like many other states, made promises to its current and future retirees; guaranteeing a pension upon retirement. Unfortunately, the value of the state’s promises doesn’t match the amount saved for these said promises. This difference, known as an “unfunded liability,” is an important issue for Louisiana to tackle.

Last week, Louisiana took bold steps to improve the quality of education for their schoolchildren, while paving the way for future achievement. Two controversial bills were passed by a wide margin in the Louisiana legislature, HB 974 and HB 976, and are now heading to the desk of Governor Bobby Jindal to be signed into law.

In states across the U.S., lawmakers are beginning to catch on to the things that the people of Louisiana always knew: parents should be able to choose where to send their child to school. School choice programs produce dramatic results for families and children, using competition and the free market to allow schools to compete and improve the quality of their education, and allowing students to reap the benefits.