Misleading DOE Press Release on Voucher Audits

Central Louisiana blogger Lamar White Jr. in this post exposes the appalling results of an audit of Louisiana's voucher schools. The blog CenLamar.com points out that the audit reports are so incomplete in their findings and reveal such lack of compliance with rules for tracking of funds that they should be considered worthless in examining the use of taxpayer funds for student vouchers.

An Associated Press story by Melinda Deslatte dated June 28 also pointed out that 107 of the 117 voucher schools did not provide enough information to the auditors for the state to determine whether or not the voucher money was spent according to the state guidelines.

This press release by the DOE  dated June 28 made the following statements:

"Of the 117 schools audited all were found to be compliant with Bulletin 133 except for the New Living Word school."

As a result, Superintendent White has banned the New Living Word School from further participation in the voucher program

The press release also stated:

"These findings are evidence that the oversight process is working and that there will be zero tolerance for fiscal mismanagement of taxpayer dollars," Superintendent of Education John White said in a statement.

My question is: How can the DOE claim that 116 schools were found to be compliant with Bulletin 133 when the great majority of schools did not provide the necessary documentation to demonstrate that they complied with Bulletin 133? And for John White to say that the oversight process is working and that there will be zero tolerance for fiscal mismanagement of taxpayer dollars is ludicrous! Just banning one school from the program when the majority of schools refused to provide the information needed to judge their compliance does not in any way equate to zero tolerance.

This press release basically describing the audit as representing a clean bill of health for the voucher schools is at a minimum misleading and could be more accurately described as a deliberate effort by the DOE to deceive the public.

See also the excellent commentary today on the Bob Mann blog here.

In an earlier post on this subject, Lamar White called for John White's resignation because of incompetence in the administration of the voucher program.

I believe it is certainly necessary that BESE, the governor and the legislature at least order an investigation of the Department's monitoring of the voucher program by the Inspector General and the Legislative Auditor to determine if there is neglect of duty or incompetence on the part of our State Superintendent.