Editorial: At last, 2 schools flunk out
By Journal Sentinel
Last Update: July 22, 2004
Two worrisome schools are finally getting their just deserts: expulsion from the Milwaukee voucher program. State education officials used to sit by helplessly as the two schools - Mandella School of Science and Math and Alex's Academics of Excellence - showed alarming signs that children were getting a lousy education. But a new law has given the state the power to act, thank goodness.
The private schools in the voucher program do require public accountability. By no means, however, must they be subject to the same level of regulations that apply to public schools, as implied by a spokesman for the Department of Public Instruction in a statement that may suggest an unfortunate reversal.
Discarding bad schools is in the interest of the program - doubtless the reason some of its proponents sat down with DPI officials to hammer out stronger state oversight, which the Legislature approved, effective this month. Foes of the program - by which low-income Milwaukee parents get state-financed vouchers redeemable for tuition at participating private schools - have cited Mandella and Alex's to help explain their opposition.
Earlier this month, the district attorney's office charged Mandella Principal David Seppeh with theft of $330,000 from the state. DPI cited that debt to the state as reason for the expulsion. Other problems whirling at the school include employee complaints that they have not been paid, parental complaints that the school sent in voucher applications with their names but without their knowledge, the purchase by Seppeh of two Mercedes cars with voucher proceeds and a shortage of teachers and lesson plans when a reporter visited.
To expel Alex's, DPI cited the school's alleged failure to follow certain financial reporting requirements. As for other reported problems, the founder is a convicted rapist; the school was twice evicted from its premises, and former employees said they witnessed illegal drug use on school grounds.
Will this new oversight suffice? How it works in practice bears watching. The idea is to provide just enough oversight to give the paying public comfort. The schools must retain their private, independent character.
Yet, puzzlingly, new DPI spokesman Joe Donovan called for "the same kind of accountability measures that are in place for public schools" - a suggestion that, if enacted, would choke the schools in red tape. Was that just a careless choice of words, or is he signaling a policy shift?
Finally, the state has long neglected another necessary element for proper oversight. What kind of academic bang are taxpayers getting for their buck? The state must find out. Unfortunately, Gov. Jim Doyle vetoed legislation that would have authorized a 12-year study of the program. He then proposed such a study in the last week of the legislative session. Under his proposal, voucher schools must participate; under the proposal he vetoed, participation would have been voluntary. The sides are too close not to come to an agreement.