SCHOOL CHOICE PAC HAILS JONES' DEFEAT
VOTE AGAINST VOUCHERS LED TO OUSTER OF INCUMBENT
All Children Matter - Press Release [10/5/2003]

"All Children Matter – Louisiana State PAC, an organization supporting candidates favoring school choice and education reform, today applauded the defeat of incumbent Senator Bill Jones in yesterday’s primary election in the 35th Senate District.

All Children Matter – Louisiana State PAC sponsored nearly $20,000 worth of independent radio advertisements during the campaign’s final week criticizing Jones for, among other things, voting against allowing parents to choose the best schools for their children. Jones cast the deciding vote this past May in the Senate Education Committee against a bill to provide vouchers to parents of children from low-income households, which was the main reason that he was targeted for defeat by All Children Matter.

“Bill Jones refused to stand up for kids from low-income families, and it cost him his seat,” said Greg Brock, Executive Director of All Children Matter. “Instead, Senator Jones decided to stand with the special interests, who protect the status quo and stand in the way of reform.”

All Children Matter endorsed and supported retired Judge Bob Kostelka, who upset Jones by a 52-48% margin in a very competitive election. Kostelka is a strong supporter of school choice and education reform. Jones, on the other hand, had been endorsed by the Louisiana Association of Educators (LAE), the state’s most prominent teachers union and one of the leading opponents of education reform in Louisiana.

The Associated Press reported on May 8, 2003, that tearful testimony from a mother could not move enough Senate Education Committee members to support the voucher legislation, as it was defeated by a 3 to 2 vote.

“Chantrelle Lowe, whose son attends a Catholic school in New Orleans, cried as she told committee members she wants her son to continue his elementary education at the school. She cannot afford to send him there without voucher aid, she said. ‘I want my son to be able to excel, to continue at least until the third grade,’” the AP reported.

“Perhaps if Bill Jones had decided to stand with mothers like Chantrelle Lowe instead of voting with the powerful special interests, he wouldn’t have to pack his bags to depart Baton Rouge,” said Brock. “Voting against school choice in Louisiana now carries with it a tremendous political price.”"

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