BATON ROUGE- With Louisiana public schools continuing to struggle, State Representative Phillip Devillier thinks changes need to be made. 

That is why he is proposing a bill that would send dollars from public schools to some private school students. 

"Louisiana has been ranked 49th in education for quite some time now, and what we're looking for is to give students and families more opportunities to get the best education in the state," Devillier said.

The bill would allow tax dollars to children for private school tuition, textbooks, and tutoring.

The bill would target specifically students who have a parent or legal guardian who is an active service member or a foster child who has found a permanent home or is about to get one. That would account for about 14,000 kids in Louisiana. 

The cost of this bill would be about $224,000. Some lawmakers were not sold, but Devillier says the cost is worth it. 

"When you look again at being 49th, that's not working so I think people should appreciate and will appreciate that we are doing more with your tax dollars to educate our future children in Louisiana," Devillier said. 

The bill passed the House Education Committee with a vote of eight to four. It will now head to the floor for more debate.