| A Milwaukee judge Thursday (February 19, 2004)
ordered the closing of a Milwaukee private school involved in
the state voucher program, saying, "We have all failed these
children." Circuit Judge Maxine White ordered the closing
of Mandella School of Science and Math, which has been accused
of financial mismanagement. White appointed former Judge Michael
Skwierawski to help Mandella's 100 to 200 students find new schools. White said that while it was OK to create alternative
education options, "no one had the foresight to set up a
system that would catch the children." For several weeks, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has been reporting
on problems at Mandella. Most recently, it reported that principal
David Seppeh used proceeds from the state voucher program to buy
two used Mercedes-Benz automobiles for about $65,000. Voucher funds are diverted from Milwaukee Public
Schools to private school involved in the program. The newspaper also has reported that: - The school improperly cashed $330,000 in voucher payments
last fall, including payments for students who did not attend
the school.
- Teachers said their paychecks have either been late or have
not arrived at all.
- A bus company claims the school owes it nearly $100,000.
- The state has filed eight tax warrants against the school's
principal in the last eight years. A garnishment notice filed
this fall claimed Seppeh owed $171,000 in taxes.
- When a reporter visited the school earlier this month, "teachers
were scarce and several students were hanging out instead of
doing homework."
Earlier this year, another voucher school, Alex's Academics of
Excellence, was in the news for financial mismanagement. The school was evicted from its location last year for failure
to pay rent even though it has received $2.8 million in payments
from the state. According to the Journal Sentinel, two former
administrators at Alex's have accused James A. Mitchell, the school's
chief executive officer (a convicted rapist) "of financial
mismanagement and allowing employees to carry and use marijuana
and cocaine while at the school." Resource page on private
school vouchers Posted February 20, 2004 |