By Victor Skinner
EAGnews.org

BATON ROUGE, La. – Hundreds of Louisiana residents rallied at the state Capitol with Gov. Bobby Jindal this week to urge the legislature to find a new funding method for the state’s voucher program after the Louisiana Supreme Court ruled current funding unconstitutional.

The rally was sponsored by the Black Alliance for Educational Options to remind lawmakers “You Promised” to give students struggling in failing public schools better education options, Fox44 reports.

MORE NEWS: From Classroom to Consulate Chef: Culinary Student Lands Dream Job at U.S. Embassy in Paris

“ … (Y)ou made a promise to them,” said Samantha Burbank, grandmother of two voucher students. “It’s just like, on Christmas, you give them a toy, and you take it back.

“Even if it wasn’t my grandchildren, I was coming, because you know what? It’s very important for them to have the education.”

The Louisiana Supreme Court last week ruled the state’s funding method for the voucher program unconstitutional and lawmakers are now working to find another way to pay for 8,000 vouchers guaranteed to students for the 2013-14 school year. The program started with 5,000 students statewide, and now has 4,000 families on a waiting list.

Jindal told parents at the rally the voucher program is too important to wither away, according to the television station.

“I’ve seen moms with tears in their eyes, telling me how grateful they were that, finally, their children had a chance to have a better quality of life than their parents have,” Jindal said. “That’s what this is about.”

Of course, for the state’s teachers union and critics of the voucher plan, it’s not about quality of life, or education, or students. It’s about money.

MORE NEWS: Know These Before Moving From Cyprus To The UK

“If the governor can find money to keep our kids into this private school, why can’t he find funds to keep our public hospital open?” Hyma Moore Sr. asked Fox44.

“My kids did outstanding” in East Baton Rouge public schools, he said.

“It’s not about warm and fuzzies,” Steve Monahan, president of the Louisiana Federation of Teachers, told Fox44. “It’s now about, ‘is this working, and at whose expense do you want to continue it?’”

Hundreds of residents at the rally are convinced the program is working great and should continue. Thousands more are waiting for a chance to decide for themselves.

And that should be the bottom line – parents in any state should have the absolute right to send their children to any school they please, and use their tax dollars to do it.

If that ultimately means less funding for public schools, and fewer unionized teachers paying union dues, that’s just too bad.

The state’s responsibility is to provide a quality education for students, not to protect teaching jobs and failing government schools.