From the Florida Times Union
by Matt Dixon
Democrats grilled a Department of Education official Tuesday and once again said a school-choice scholarship program allowed too much room for fraud.
Many of the arguments that played out during the K-20 Innovate Subcommittee meeting mirrored the last session, when Democrats argued that the McKay Scholarships lacked accountability.
"With all due respect to [the Department of Education] ... it does not appear that they have the tools they need to ensure the McKay Scholarship really only goes to good actors," said Rep. Marty Kiar, D-Parkland.
A bill sponsored last year by state Sen. Stephen Wise, R-Jacksonville, expanded the McKay program, which offers taxpayer-funded scholarships to disabled students to attend private schools. As a result of the expansion, 883 additional students joined the program this year.
Though critics trotted out the same arguments as last session, their positions were bolstered by a June investigation by the Miami New Times that found provider schools were collecting money for kids who did not attend those schools, some had staffers with criminal records, and some did not have physical locations.
In the article, Wise said the findings concerned him.
"I need to talk to my staff director. We need to have some hearings and do whatever we can to make changes," said Wise, the chairman of the Senate preK-12 Committee.
Michael Kooi, who was updating the panel on the changes to the program, said that many schools in the report were no longer in the program.
"The process and requirements we have in place allowed us to take action," said Kooi, executive director of Florida's Office of Independent Education and Parental Choice.
Supporters of the expanded programs said rooting out fraud is important, but too much government interference will act to deter good schools from entering the program.
"I have a McKay school in my district. ... If we went in and tried to tell them how to discipline their students, they probably would not want to be a McKay partner anymore," said Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fort Walton Beach. "We don't want to poison the soup."
Kooi agreed.
"Immediately you will reduce the number of schools available to kids," he said.
Democrats also expressed concern that the state does not have to do site visits when a school applies for the program.
Kooi said the DOE is only allowed 10 visits each year, and that even if the department were allowed to do more walk-throughs, "I don't know that doing visits to all private schools is something we want to do."
matt.dixon@jacksonville.com, (904) 716-8789
Read more at Jacksonville.com: http://jacksonville.com/news/schools/2011-10-05/story/florida-house-democrats-mckay-program-still-has-flaws#ixzz1ZxSJCwCU
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