Wanggaard Calls for Greater Financial Oversight for New Choice Schools

**Updated 1:15 pm, June 1

Teachers at St. John Fisher Academy, a new private high school in Racine, have not been paid since March and have filed complaints with the state.

According to a story in The Journal Times, St. John opened with state voucher money last fall and had an enrollment of around 50. Since then, the student body has shrunk by half, and teachers have continued to show up for work even though they first went without pay from mid-December to February and then March to the present.

As of June 1, though, The Journal Times reports that teachers have received two months of back pay. Parents of students received a letter chastising the two teachers who came forward about the situation at St. John's.

Reporter Lindsay Fiori writes that St. John's financial woes started when the Milwaukee Archdiocese refused the school's designation as a Catholic high school since there are already Catholic high schools in the area. That decision means St. John's is in the "Catholic tradition" but not Catholic.

Financial promises of some $750,000 also fell through and Headmaster Dave Tomasiewicz didn't fill out state voucher forms completely. The blunder means state voucher funds for only 17 students were received instead of money for the 51 of 52 students who qualified. Further, Tomasiewicz under-reported the student body on at least two other occasions resulting in lower payments and an inability to keep up with payroll.

State Sen. Van Wanggaard (R-Racine) is calling for more financial oversight for schools new to the choice program. In a written statement distributed today, Wanggaard said he will introduce new legislation that would require first semester audits instead of audits at the end of the first year.

“No teacher, no worker, should have to go without pay for the job they do,” said Wanggaard in the statement. “I pushed for greater financial accountability of schools when we introduced parental choice to Racine. It’s clear now that new schools need additional inspection to help prevent similar situations in the future. This is for the benefit of students, teachers and taxpayers.”

Rep. Cory Mason doesn't think anyone should be surprised this happened since state Republicans were so eager to limit accountability for private schools that accept vouchers.

"Sen. Wanggaard voted for a state budget that brought these taxpayer-funded private voucher schools to Racine and lowered accreditation standards for private voucher schools. He later voted against an amendment that would have created a statewide accountability system for all taxpayer-funded schools, including private voucher schools. (Senate Amendment 7 to SB 461)," he said in a written statement.

Mason also accused Wanggaard of flip-flopping on the issue with a looming recall election.

"Sen. Wanggaard can’t have it both ways. He can’t spend his first year and a half in office derailing accountability measures for taxpayer-funded private voucher schools and then, with his political future in the balance, as teachers aren’t getting paid due to this lack of oversight and accountability, suddenly claim to favor accountability," he wrote.

St. John Fisher Academy was the only school new to the Racine Parental Choice Program. The state has placed a lein on the school's assets while the Department of Workforce Development investigates teachers' complaints, but there is little even the Department of Public Instruction can do to keep the school from staying open since St. John is a private business.

The Journal Times story does say that DPI can keep St John Fisher from participating in the voucher program for not being financially viable, but even that can't happen until after Sept. 1 when the previous year's financial audit completes.

But to close St. John's doors after the start of the school year isn't good for students or their teachers, Wanggaard noted.

“Children, whether in a public or private school, need a comfortable environment to learn in,” his written statement continued. “Teachers going without pay, and uprooting students mid-year can be severely detrimental to a student’s education. We must take action to make sure these children have
stability in their instruction.”