Charter for fraud?: when 'school choice' programs go awry.Proponents of "educational choice" argue that more options are needed to help children trapped in "failing" public schools. Furthermore, they insist that these options must be loosely regulated, so free-market forces can come into play and bring academic excellence to all. It sounds good on paper. In real life, it just doesn't work. Since they lack meaningful oversight, voucher A receipt or release which provides evidence of payment or other discharge of a debt, often for purposes of reimbursement, or attests to the accuracy of the accounts. plans and charter schools too often spark fraud and abuse--and leave children out in the cold. In Houston, officials have arrested a minister who ran the now-defunct Prepared Table Charter School. The Rev. Harold W. Wilcox and three of his relatives are accused of misappropriating $3 million in state and federal funds Federal Funds Funds deposited to regional Federal Reserve Banks by commercial banks, including funds in excess of reserve requirements. Notes: These non-interest bearing deposits are lent out at the Fed funds rate to other banks unable to meet overnight reserve . Some $51,000 in school money allegedly went to help pay for Wilcox's house. He is also charged with stealing money from the school's free-breakfast and lunch program--funds that were supposed to help poor children. At the time of his arrest, Wilcox was found in his home, hiding in a false compartment compartment a part of the body as a whole and divided from the rest by a physical partition. fluid compartment that liquid part of the body excluded by cell membranes. Includes intravascular and intercellular compartments. in a closet, along with $3,500 in cash. Florida has also been having problems with its lightly regulated voucher program. Newspapers there reported that a Christian school A Christian School is a school run on Christian principles or by a Christian organization. The nature of Christian schools varies enormously from country to country according to the religious, educational, and political culture. in Polk County Polk County is the name of twelve counties in the United States, all except two named after president of the United States James Knox Polk:
Seven people have been arrested in conjunction with the scandal at Faith Christian Academy. Some of them are accused of raiding the school lunch program and using the cash to buy cars and real estate. Officials in Wisconsin have kicked two private schools out of that state's voucher program. The founder of the Mandella School of Science is accused of misusing state funds. The other school, Alex's Academic of Excellence, failed to meet financial reporting requirements. Amazingly, it was reported tour years ago that the head of the "Academic of Excellence" had a criminal record for rape and burglary--yet the institution was cut off from state funding only in July. Finally, there is Ohio. One voucher school there had a convicted murderer on staff. Another school was so run down that the building had no heat or working fire alarms. A third "educated" children by showing them videos all day. A common thread runs through each of these stories: Instead of helping low-income youngsters, these schools cheated them out of an education. They were aided and abetted in this unpleasant business by state officials brainwashed brain·wash tr.v. brain·washed, brain·wash·ing, brain·wash·es To subject to brainwashing. n. The process or an instance of brainwashing. in voucher ideology. Vouchers and other privatization privatization: see nationalization. privatization Transfer of government services or assets to the private sector. State-owned assets may be sold to private owners, or statutory restrictions on competition between privately and publicly owned schemes might look attractive at first glance. In reality, they have too often failed students. It's time It's Time was a successful political campaign run by the Australian Labor Party (ALP) under Gough Whitlam at the 1972 election in Australia. Campaigning on the perceived need for change after 23 years of conservative (Liberal Party of Australia) government, Labor put forward a to shut them down before anyone else falls victim to these seams. |
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