(mostly x-posted from my humble blog)
Some prologue: I am a teacher in the Milwaukee Public Schools and a long-time critic of the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program, the nation's oldest most-watched school voucher program. In the 20 years since the program began, there have been changes, mostly to make the program bigger. As it expanded, it became a magnet for abuse, as you might expect when the state is handing out free money to just about all comers.
The state's Department of Public Instruction has had, for many years, few options for dealing with bad schools. One of the most powerful involves paperwork--paperwork. DPI cannot shut down a voucher school for being bad, but if they miss a deadline--watch out!
Presently, some 20,000 of Milwaukee's 100,000 school-age children attend a private school on the taxpayers' dime. This diary is about 244 of them at one school.
This morning, news broke that one voucher school, the LaBrew Troopers Military University School, had had voucher payments cut off from the state. According to the story, the leader of the school, "Commander" Shan Owens, closed the doors on March 9 saying he couldn't afford to keep the school running without the nearly $400,000 payment due from the state.
In the story the reporter, Alan Borsuk, laid bare the paperwork problem, but only hinted at deeper issues.
LaBrew was scheduled to receive $377,259.70 from the state in February, one of its four payments in this school year. But Michael Thompson, interim deputy state superintendent of public instruction, issued an order Feb. 23 to hold back the money because the school owed the state $315,684 to refund past overpayments and to settle other disputes. [. . .]
A group of about 10 adults, including teachers and parents, and 10 students met with a reporter recently and painted an unhappy picture of school culture. [Parent] Tabitha Watkins [. . .] and others in the group complained about the failures of the academic program and said children were often treated harshly. [. . .]
None said they required hospital treatment after such episodes.
This morning, I used that story to mock the conservative candidate for Wisconsin Superintendent of Schools, Rose Fernandez. (Note: I support Tony Evers; election day is Tuesday.) See, she wants to expand the voucher program state-wide, despite consistent problems among schools (LaBrew is, by my count, the sixth program, out of about 120, to be shut down this year so far). Plus--and this is the funny part--she has her own problems keeping up with state-mandated paperwork. "If Rose Fernandez were running a voucher school," I joked, "she'd be kicked out of the program."
But I barely knew anything about what may have been really going at that school.
This afternoon, I had forwarded to me, third-hand, a letter written by a former teacher at the school, Glenda Haynes. I called her to ask permission to run the letter on my blog, and she informed me not only that the hints about what was going on from the morning's newspaper story were just the tip of the iceberg.
There was an email attached to the letter, offered here unedited. Please excuse the errors; Haynes has been very emotional and raw throughout her ordeal:
I was the K5 teacher at Labrew the school I have worked to close down after seeing daily abuse of the children, sponsered by our tax dollars. I received work last Thursday that the school is closed due to my interference. I wrote President Obama, Gwen Moore, Feingold, the Mayor, Governor and DPI. I had the buildidng inspector notified, the health deptment and call child protection and gave the names of almost 17 children; but there are hundreds more that have been abused. I have contacted an attorney for a classaction law suite for the children. Child protection went to the police on last 3/27/09 and the police came to talk to me that same day. I have provided recordings of the meetings concerning the abuse and video. Myself as well as two other teacher have come forth on the kids behalf. And with all this the police tells me that because none of the children have been injured where they have gone to the hospital they may not pursue it, and this was said to me before they have even talked to children, teachers or listened to my tapes. They say they may just go after him for money fraud concerning the use of the voucher and food monies. I am angry. If you are interrested in our story please give me a call.
So note first of all that she identifies a different reason for the school's being closed right now--that her complaining about the issue to the city (Child Protective Services, building inspectors, etc.) caused the program's halt, not just the lack of funds.
When I talked to Haynes this afternoon, she was very emotional and upset. Upset in part at the fact that the MJS story focused too much on the financials and LaBrew's staff denying the charges of abuse, and that she and other parents come off as "disgruntled," when really the charges are more serious than that.
But Haynes was also upset that this story, which she has apparently been trying to tell for some time, has not attracted the kind of attention that another local story has, that of Daniel Acker, a swimming coach who has allegedly been abusing children for decades and was just caught now. Haynes complained that one 30-years-later allegation of abuse was all it took to get the ball rolling against Acker, who worked with white suburban kids, but dozens of allegations from African American families against this school are going unnoticed.
And the allegations in her letter are pretty shocking. She told me of the videos and recording mentioned there, including, she claims, LaBrew employees--"Drill Sergeants," they are called--admitting to serious physical abuses on tape. This treatment was hinted at in Borsuk's story, and he told me that he did indeed meet with Haynes and others and heard what he indicated were poor-quality recordings. This is not the first time that Labrew has been criticized for the way it treats its students. The school was called on the carpet about two years ago for punishing students by feeding them bread and water--and taking the full reimbursement for school lunches from the state.
Obviously, law enforcement is going to look into what there is, and if something is prosecutable, I would hope that those charged will be pursued to the fullest extent of the law. Haynes stressed, though, that if LaBrew keeps getting away with this abuse--and she was clear in calling it child abuse, repeatedly--that it merely teaches the lesson that as long as you don't break any kids' bones, you can get away with it.
Here's her letter, dated March 7. No one else from the media has even touched this letter or its contents:
My name is Glenda Haynes. I have been working and volunteering in the community with youth for over 25 years. And I am writing to you to ask for your help in preventing the private (voucher) school “Labrew Troopers University School” owner Shan Owens from ever operating any school dealing with children; due to the serious physical , mental, and verbal abuse done to the children. There are also the dangerous conditions concerning sanitation of the day to day operations of the building.
I began working with “Labrew in Oct. of 08, as a temporary job for myself as I awaited a position with the Sheriffs dept. It wasn’t long after working there that it became apparent that things were not right. Children were getting their arms bent as far up their backs as they could go, smashed face first into walls and a full run, dragged, arms pulled up into the air and then their wrist is bent trying to force their fingers to touch their wrist, and verbal abuse.
Also, concerning the sanitation conditions, this building has no windows, no ventilation system to bring in air or circulate air. The bathrooms are filthy and we can go weeks without soap in them. There is no sink in the kitchen. I saw the cook washing two serving spoons in the girls bathroom sink. I video taped the cook washing the serving food pans in the slop mop sink. There is so much more, but it all can’t be put into this letter.
I am requesting your assistance, as well as others. I am writing the President, going to the Journal, and calling child protection to go and get the stories of the children for abuse charges. When my efforts to try and change this place and making demanding complaints fell on deaf ears I started to collect evidence to take for help. I have tapped our last staff meetings and the video of the dish washing. But before I could get more the school has taken an early spring break (Mar. 9 – 23) due to owing the state over 200,000. What I understand is that they plan on closing and re-applying as another private voucher school. This can not happen please! I have already contacted my K5 class where I became the teacher. All the parents are willing to allow their children to tell their stories. Please I need your help, the children need your help.
Glenda Haynes
There are two things you can do to help. One would be to go to the website of Tony Evers and show your support by donating or, if you're in Wisconsin, volunteering to get out the vote on election day next week. The other would be to pick a legislator, any legislator, and let them know that Milwaukee's voucher program needs far, far stricter oversight. With Democrats in control of both houses of the legislature for the first time in decades--with a Dem governor--there is a reasonably good chance that real oversight and accountability over voucher schools could get done. The more they hear from people, the better.