Boardbuzz

Accountability for Florida’s vouchers too?

It almost sounds like a national trend with voucher programs. Lawmakers approve them with virtually no public oversight then feign astonishment when scams and scandals occur. Just as Wisconsin lawmakers have now stepped in to eliminate the accountability gap in Milwaukee’s program, so too is the Florida Legislature considering several proposals to close giant loopholes and add basic accountability measures to the state’s troubled voucher programs, the Palm Beach Post reports. The bills focus on the state’s McKay voucher program for children with disabilities and the corporate tuition tax credit voucher program. Facing a rift among voucher school operators, however, it is uncertain whether lawmakers will find the courage to pass any meaningful accountability plans this session. Many of the established private schools in the voucher programs support a requirement that voucher schools be accredited, while top voucher proponents and some lawmakers oppose that for fear that many of the start up voucher schools will go out of business.

The McKay reform bill would close loopholes that have allowed vouchers to go to home-schooled students (with “consultants” pocketing dollars) and correspondence schools; ensure that students with temporary disabilities, such as a broken leg, cannot claim vouchers; and, require private schools to inform parents if they have any teachers certified to teach special education. Recent reports indicate that 77 percent of the schools participating in the McKay program do not even offer special education classes or services. NSBA has long maintained that voucher programs eliminate public accountability, and Florida’s experiences of the past several months bear that out. For more on vouchers, visit our Voucher Strategy Center web site.

admin|March 17th, 2004|Categories: Boardbuzz, Governance|

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