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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 20, 1999

News Release

NEA Takes Action to Stop Abuses Occurring Under Ohio Voucher Plan

Legislative "Fixes" Won't Hide Flaws Inherent in All Voucher Programs

Washington, D.C. -- The National Education Association (NEA) filed a complaint in federal district court today to stop abuses occurring under the Cleveland voucher program that hurt children and misuse taxpayer money. "The conditions children have been subjected to in some of the Cleveland voucher schools are deplorable," said NEA President Bob Chase. "What's happened in Cleveland is symptomatic of the lack of oversight and financial drain caused by the whole voucher experiment. Children and taxpayers would be much better served by proven education reforms that serve all children."

The ultimate test of any education reform should be student achievement, and the Cleveland program fails miserably. Vouchers have not improved student performance. In fact, voucher students at some of the newly established private schools in Cleveland are achieving at significantly lower levels than public school students in all subjects. Worse, other voucher schools in Ohio failed to administer state proficiency exams at all.

The troubled two-year program has also suffered from financial abuse and mismanagement. An independent audit showed the program ran 41 percent over budget in 1998, which forced the state to take nearly $3 million from public school funds to cover the overruns. In its first year, the program misspent $1.4 million on taxis to transport students to voucher schools.

Following an Ohio Supreme Court decision outlawing the Cleveland voucher program in May, the state legislature hastily drafted and passed a newly crafted law in June to overcome the court's objections. "The newly enacted law will not mask the fundamental flaws inherent in all voucher programs," said Chase. "State legislators would be better advised to stick to proven reforms that will serve all children."

A recent Cleveland Plain Dealer article highlighted rampant abuses and an absence of accountability measures under the Cleveland voucher program. "Ohio taxpayers paid a six-figure tab this year to send poor children from Cleveland to a private school staffed mostly by unlicensed teachers, including a convicted murderer. The children attended classes in a 110-year-old building with no fire alarm, no sprinkler system, broken windows and potentially brain-damaging lead paint flaking from a wall." (Cleveland Plain Dealer, July 1, 1999)

In just the last three months, three appellate courts have ruled that religious school voucher programs are illegal. This legal momentum should cause voucher proponents to rethink a policy that in addition to failing court challenges, also lacks accountability and invites abuse.

Chase offered a number of proven solutions to improving education, including smaller class sizes and innovative programs like Success For All, a comprehensive pre-K-6 reading and language arts curriculum developed at Johns Hopkins University. Success For All, now operating in more than 1,100 schools nationwide, has dramatically improved reading performance for low-performing students. A 1999 report by the American Institutes for Research ranked Success For All at the top of 24 comprehensive school reform approaches. And, it can be implemented for a fraction of the cost of a voucher, Chase said.

"The abuses occurring under the Cleveland plan must be stopped," said Chase. "We know what works to improve academic performance. It's time to let common sense prevail and stick to proven reforms rather than experiments that open the door for abuses that hurt our children."

NEA joined the Ohio Education Association, the American Civil Liberties Union, People for the American Way, and Americans United for Separation of Church and State in filing today's lawsuit.

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The National Education Association is the nation’s largest professional employee organization, representing more than 2.7 million elementary and secondary teachers, higher education faculty, education support personnel, school administrators, retired educators, and students preparing to become teachers.