BATON ROUGE, La. -- Standardized test scores released last week provided arguments for both sides in the debate over whether up to $10 million in state taxpayer money should be used to pay private school tuition for as many as 1,500 New Orleans children this fall.

In New Orleans schools that have been taken over by the state in recent years, scores among fourth-graders on this spring's Louisiana Educational Assessment Program test increased by 12 percentage points compared to last year. Scores for eighth-graders rose 4 percentage points.

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Do the recent LEAP scores make a case for school vouchers?

"The children in New Orleans are showing progress under a new scheme that we rolled the dice on and now it's paying off dividends," Peterson said in an interview last week. "And until we get performance measures in a way that analyze what we're doing, it's not my opinion that you just continue to try new things."

Poor student performance, corruption and incompetence in the New Orleans public school system had been rampant for years and would-be reformers had already made some progress in winning a state takeover of the worst schools when Hurricane Katrina struck on Aug. 29, 2005.

With most of the city flooded and the school system even deeper in chaos, then-Gov. Kathleen Blanco won passage of legislation giving the state control of all but a handful of New Orleans schools. Now, 59 are overseen by the state Recovery School District, which runs some and has put others in the hands of private "charter" organizations.

After the RSD's early struggles, Tuesday's release of the LEAP scores was a welcome sign.

Still, when those scores were announced -- at a New Orleans school surrounded by a tall fence and barbed wire -- it was easy to see why some lawmakers are still pushing to provide some students with a state-funded escape: only 48 percent of fourth-graders and 36 percent of eighth-graders in the 59 schools passed the test

"They're not where they need to be. And, as they're not where they need to be, we should not leave any child behind," said Rep. Austin Badon, a New Orleans Democrat who has split with others in his city's delegation over the issue.

Badon is sponsoring the House version of the Jindal-backed bill; Sen. Ann Duplessis, also a New Orleans Democrat, the Senate version. Each bill has won initial committee approval, but there has been speculation that Jindal is having trouble garnering votes.

Surprising, perhaps, given his reported 77 percent voter approval rating, his early legislative successes, the zeal with which lawmakers say his staff is lobbying the bill and the state's rich history of Catholic education.

Not so surprising given the historically fierce opposition from teacher unions and an educational establishment that fears vouchers will rob suffering public schools of needed resources.

Is Jindal closing in? The answer may come Wednesday, when Badon's bill is scheduled for a House floor vote.

Other questions lingering:

-- How much will the bill eventually cost? Jindal is recommending up to $10 million for the 2008-09 school year, which would fund tuition for up to 1,500 low- to moderate-income students in kindergarten through third grade. It's unclear whether there would be that many private school openings available, but if there are, and the program subsequently expands to other grade levels as planned, the cost will grow.

-- Will that cost mean less money available for the RSD and public charter schools in New Orleans? Administration officials stress that the $10 million will come out of the state general fund, not the annual education budget. Opponents like Peterson still say that's money that should go for public school initiatives such as a plan to extend school days in New Orleans.

-- Will schools that take part in the program be required to give students the same LEAP and Graduate Exit Exams that public schools administer? The Senate version of the bill says yes; the House version doesn't. Not including the testing requirement could be a deal-killer for some lawmakers. It also could be a sticking point for some private schools.