Executive Director's Report: Lack of accountability in voucher program leads to mismanagement and co

By Anne L. Bryant

3/16/04 -- This column comes to you as my voice and my opinion. Each month or so, School Board News Editor Ellie Ashford and I talk about what kind of message to present in this column, and we struggle to make sure we're giving you a personal perspective, as well as a balanced organizational message.

This month, I am so angry about the misuse of public trust in Milwaukee, that I'm going to beg your indulgence. I read a series of articles in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel about a private school that has received voucher money and that has broken trust with taxpayers, children in the school, and everyone connected to it.

When an eligible student receives a voucher, the money follows the student to whichever school the student chooses to attend. This concept has led some people in Milwaukee to create "voucher schools."

The news stories describe a voucher school run amok. According to the Journal Sentinel, officials at the Mandella School of Science and Math have been charged with improperly cashing $330,000 in voucher payments; the school's principal, David Seppeh, admitted using $65,000 in voucher funds from the state to buy two Mercedes-Benz cars; and the school has failed to pay many of its employees since October.

The instructional program also appeared to be in a shambles. A Journal Sentinel reporter who visited the Mandella School found a scarcity of teachers, and students were playing games, watching movies, and hanging out.

The news reports prompted State Superintendent Elizabeth Burmaster to request an investigation of the school by the Milwaukee County district attorney. A circuit judge later ordered the school closed and appointed a former judge to find new schools for the students.

"This is the second public meltdown in the voucher system," states a Feb. 18 editorial in the Post-Crescent of Appleton, Wis. "The other was Alex's Academics of Excellence, where former administrators say they saw employees using drugs and fights in the hallway that reportedly involved staff."

The editorial points out that neither school would have existed without the vouchers. All of the students at Mandella and nearly all at Alex's used vouchers.

It's easy to establish a voucher school in Milwaukee, the editorial states. There are no requirements for standardized tests or background checks, and there is almost no public oversight.

"Becoming a choice school is real simple," Mandella's director of operations, Ron Hendree, told the Journal Sentinel. "I'm shocked. Me and you, in about two hours, we can basically open a choice school."

Even Burmaster acknowledges that the state "does not have the authority to safeguard children from unsafe and unhealthy educational environments in Milwaukee Parental Choice Program schools."

Of course, not all voucher schools are as bad as Mandella. There are some very good private schools, including private schools participating in voucher programs. And there are some bad public schools.

But when we create a program of schools of choice and funnel public money to private schools without making them accountable to the local school board, we run the risk of misuse of funds, misuse of authority, and misuse of our children.

I've visited several voucher schools in Milwaukee as the guest of noted voucher advocate Howard L. Fuller. He is the former superintendent of Milwaukee, founder and director of the Institute for the Transformation of Learning at Marquette University, and founder of the Black Alliance for Educational Options.

One of the schools I toured, Messmer High School, an independent Catholic school in the inner-city, truly seemed to be an excellent school. But I was less than impressed with the two other schools I was taken to, which also were billed as good examples of voucher schools.

At these schools, which will remain nameless, I saw children sleeping in the back of classrooms. And although one of the principals was proud of the chance to hug every child who came in the door, not all of the children seemed to be happy about that visual display of affection.

So while some voucher schools are doing a good job educating their students, there are a few outrageous examples, like the Mandella School, that are corrupt beyond measure.

The whole voucher concept -- channeling public money into private schools -- is harmful to public education, and these examples of bad schools only underscore the lack of accountability in voucher programs.

I am always reminded that you, as school board members, as members of your state associations, and as public school leaders, make it very clear to NSBA that private school choice is not the right path for American schoolchildren.