FL private school owner has 4th failing school. Gets state voucher money with no oversight.

[madfloridian]

When public money is given to charter schools and private schools in Florida, it is given with little or no regulation on its use. McKay Vouchers are known for being monitored very little by the state.

That's a shame, since these vouchers are for students with disabilities.

The owner just keeps on getting permission to open schools.

http://www.bradenton.com/2012/11/29/4296301/florida-failing-to-hold-private.html">Florida failing to hold private schools accountable, even with state money


The Prep Academy, 7700 Cortez Road West in Bradenton. GRANT JEFFERIES/Bradenton Herald
[e-mail]

Several confounding questions surround yet another alarming situation at a private school owned by a man whose financial track record can only be described as wanting at best. The Prep Academy is now the fourth school owned by Hendrik Lamprecht to fall into deep trouble, though its exact status remains hazy.

Prep's former principal, Theresa Kern, exposed the dire situation in a detailed article by Herald education reporter Katy Bergen last week. Incredibly, Kern often had to produce copies of textbook pages because classrooms lacked books.

Yet parents paid a $250 book fee, never saw textbooks in classroom, and their children never came home with any.

.."Private schools are another matter, being free of the state rules that govern charter and public schools. Florida law doesn't require private schools to certify that teachers are qualified to instruct students with special needs before receiving McKay funds, nor do statutes mandate oversight on how a school spends McKay money. Once parents endorse a scholarship check over to a school, they have little influence.

Amazingly, the state does not ask private schools about curriculum.

I had no trouble finding this article on Google. I have reread it for a couple of days. Now all of a sudden it wants me to subscribe. If you don't want to subscribe, trust me...I have quoted exactly.

Here is more about Lamprecht's other failures. Apparently it is true that accountability is only for public school teachers.

From last year:

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/madfloridian/7958">Florida investor plagued by lawsuits, one by former teachers not paid...wants to open new school.


GRANT JEFFERIES/[e-mail] Bradenton Prep CEO Hendrik Lamprecht and coach Walt Williams

Lamprecht invested in Bradenton Prep in December 2009 when the school owed more than $1 million in federal payroll taxes, according to the Internal Revenue Service. The full dollar amount of his investment in the school was never revealed. But shortly after he invested, a lender won a $3.68 million foreclosure judgment against the school and repossessed the school’s former campus at 7900 40th Ave. W. in July 2010.

Lamprecht has been embroiled in at least five other lawsuits. One lawsuit was filed by 12 former teachers of Bradenton Prep who said they weren’t paid last year. Those lawsuits are still open, according to the county’s clerk of court website.

Lamprecht says the plaintiffs cannot prove he is financially liable for the school’s debts. Until they can, he said, “I care less with what they say.”

This paragraph from Channel 10 WTSP in Tampa is almost unbelievable.

In July of last year our photojournalist went to Bradenton Prep for a 10 a.m. scheduled interview Lamprecht was not happy to see us. The photographer says Lamprecht came up from behind and hit him over the head. Lamprecht apologized, but did not keep the interview. Ten News will try again later this month.

Schools like this with no oversight are taking taxpayer money from public education while public school teachers are blamed for most everything.

Crossposted at DU3

[Enthusiast]

1. This is so cost effective!

You know, compared to traditional public education.