Opinion: McKay's voucher results

McKay Scholarships, which in three short years have become the nation's largest voucher program, are turning around the lives of 7,000 disabled students and giving them an education they could never get in their public schools.

Or maybe they aren't. Who knows?

Don't look for answers at the state Department of Education. Until neighbors complained to St. Petersburg City Hall, education officials didn't know the "Excellence Academy" was a house in foreclosure with no license to operate a school and citations for housing code violations. Until receiving a letter from the city, they didn't know the school's new address was a public library. After sending tens of thousands of tax dollars to the academy over a two-year period, they view their decision last week to cut off payment as evidence they are on top of things.

The St. Petersburg academy is but one of the 545 schools the state has approved for McKay voucher payments. Many -- or most -- of them may be performing exactly as former Senate President John McKay would have hoped. Certainly, some of the registered schools are established providers in the difficult arena of special education, which takes extensive training, small class sizes and caring adults to be successful. Unfortunately, some have popped up overnight by the lure of easy money, which helps explain some disturbing allegations that have surfaced around the state: outdated text books, unqualified teachers, physical abuse, lack of specialized services, schools that cash voucher checks for students who are no longer enrolled.

No one really knows how well the $49.6-million McKay program is working because those who oversee it are covering their eyes. Ask how these private schools are performing or whether students and families are happy or even whether tax dollars are being disbursed in accordance with state law, and the response tends to follow two paths: 1) We trust parents to make smart decisions for their students, or, 2) We don't know.

When asked how many schools had been created to serve only tax-supported voucher students, education spokesman Bill Edmonds recently responded: "What's the point of knowing that?"

The point is that even the best endeavors, and especially new ones, need careful oversight and continual improvement. Are families pleased? How many students are returning to public schools and why? What do district educators say? Are the financial controls sufficient? Is the reimbursement too much, or too little? Are the schools generally accredited and stable, or are they going out of business and leaving students in the lurch?

The state Board of Education established "accountability" as part of its guiding principles. That's not easy with your eyes closed.

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