Provo Daily Herald

Accountability in Voucher Plan

October 9, 2007

http://www.heraldextra.com/content/view/239807/

IN OUR VIEW

One cry in the voucher debate is that private schools have no accountability.

Opponents claim, among other things, that the voucher measure as written fails to lay out criteria for the acceptance of students; that private schools will hire unqualified teachers; that fly-by-night schools will spring up to grab voucher dollars; that there's no oversight of tax dollars; and that there is virtually no accountability for academic results.

Such arguments raise the temperature but shed little light.

Few statements on the accountability of private schools are clearer than what the voucher measures themselves say. We have included an excerpt below so that you can decide for yourself.

We don't often agree with the conservative Sutherland Institute, but we do in this case. The conservative think tank says schools that accept voucher students are held accountable on several levels, including finances and academics.

Private schools must be audited and periodically report to the state school board. They must disclose to parents the credentials of teachers. They must assess student progress using national, standardized tests.

"It may even be fair to say that under the new vouchers law, participating private schools are more accountable than their public school counterparts," said Derek Monson, education policy analyst for Sutherland. "In fact, from the research we've conducted on voucher-eligible schools in Utah, they merit -- to borrow a financial term -- a 'Triple A' rating for accountability, including audits by the state board, annual testing of voucher students, and approval of participating schools by the state board."

But don't take our word for it. You can judge this part of the statute for yourself.

Further element of the voucher program keeps things in perspective: the dollars are portable. A parent is free to find the best fit for his or her child at any time -- even mid-year, if necessary.

Parental choices can be made with confidence that adequate oversight and accountability are in place at approved schools.

Even so, it is good to remember that no amount of oversight is, in itself, an absolute protection against fraud or mismanagement by a school system -- public or private. The current book scandal in Davis County public schools is a good example.

But we believe the law as written provides for sufficient oversight. No law is perfect, but the Legislature did a good job crafting a program that takes nothing from the public schools but only adds a choice for parents whose children would benefit from a fresh school environment.

What the bill says
http://www.heraldextra.com/content/view/239809/

WHAT THE BILL SAYS

Excerpt from HB 174, which passed overwhelmingly in the 2007 Utah Legislature and which tightens accountability in the original school voucher bill HB 148:

(1)TO BE ELIGIBLE TO ENROLL A SCHOLARSHIP STUDENT, A PRIVATE SCHOOL SHALL:

(a) have a physical location in Utah where the scholarship students attend classes and have direct contact with the school's teachers;

(b) contract with an independent certified public accountant to perform the agreed upon procedures specified in Subsection (2) and produce a report of the results which shall be submitted to the board at the times specified in Subsection (2);

(c) comply with the antidiscrimination provisions of 42 U.S.C. Sec. 2000d;

(d) meet state and local health and safety laws and codes;

(e) disclose to the parent of each prospective student, before the student is enrolled, the special education services that will be provided to the student, if any, including the cost of those services;

(f)(i) annually assess the achievement of each student by administering:

(A) a norm-referenced test scored by an independent party that provides a comparison of the student's academic performance to other students on a national basis; or

(B) an alternative assessment of the student's achievement, if the student:

(I) has a disability or limited English proficiency; and

(II) would be exempt from taking a nationally norm-referenced achievement test if enrolled in a Utah public school;

(ii) report the test results to the student's parents; and

(iii) upon request, make test results available to other persons, in a manner that does not reveal the identity of any student;

(g) employ or contract with teachers who have completed a criminal background check that complies with the requirements of Section 53A-3-410 and:

(i) hold baccalaureate or higher degrees; or

(ii) have special skills, knowledge, or expertise that qualifies them to provide instruction in the subjects taught;

(h) provide to parents the teaching credentials of the school's teachers; and

(i) provide, upon request to any person, a statement indicating which, if any, organizations have accredited the private school.

(2)(a)THE AGREED UPON PROCEDURES TO BE PERFORMED pursuant to Subsection (1)(b) are as follows:

(i)(A) determine that working capital is at least 80 percent of average quarterly expenditures by taking total expenditures for a year and dividing it by four and then dividing average quarterly expenditures into working capital; and

(B) for a school in the first year of operations, use the estimated budget to estimate average quarterly expenditures;

(ii)(A) determine that scholarship payments are accounted for separately and reconciled to student records; and

(B) for the first year of operations, determine that procedures are in place for this accounting; and

(iii)(A) determine that expenditure of scholarship funds have been made for education expenses and is consistent with other tuition expenditures; and

(B) for the first year of operations, determine that procedures are in place for this accounting.

(b)(i) The independent certified public accountant's report on the agreed upon procedures specified in Subsection (2)(a) shall be submitted to the board when the private school applies to accept scholarship students and every four years thereafter, except as provided in Subsection (2)(b)(ii).

(ii) The board may, by rule, delay the date when the independent certified public accountant's report shall be submitted for private schools applying to accept scholarship students in the 2007-08 school year.

(3)THE FOLLOWING ARE NOT ELIGIBLE TO ENROLL SCHOLARSHIP STUDENTS:

(a) a school with an enrollment of fewer than 40 students;

(b) a school that operates in a residence;

(c) a school that encourages illegal conduct; or

(d) a residential treatment facility licensed by the state Section 9.