Great points made by Lamar about the voucher program. The audit did not find that most schools were in compliance, merely that most schools could not be effectively audited. Ironically, the only school singled out by White for inappropriate use of funds was one of the only schools to document how they used their funds. I guess the Takeaway message White was trying to send is he doesn’t care what you do with the money he throws at you, just don’t document it, because if you make him look bad, he’ll toss you out. Its a shame he doesn’t care about strength of curriculum, having teachers or physical buildings, just if you document how you use your funds in a semi-transparent way.
Two weeks ago, late on a Friday afternoon, John White, Louisiana’s Superintendent of Education, announced that- as a result of the findings of an independent audit- the New Living Word School in Ruston was being kicked out of the state’s controversial school voucher program. White attempted to put the best possible spin on the story, suggesting that the school’s removal was proof that the Department of Education was committed to accountability. “These findings are evidence that the oversight process is working,” he said, “and that there will be zero tolerance for fiscal mismanagement of taxpayer dollars.”
Superintendent White had an advantage on the media: The audits total 475 pages, and considering that New Living Word had already generated national attention, he likely knew that would be the story. So, the narrative he “muddied up” was simple: If only one of the 117 schools was being forced out of the program for…
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Crazy Crawfish 