Largest corporate scholarship provider for poor kids dropping out (Fla.)

Largest corporate scholarship provider for poor kids dropping out

Associated Press
Posted January 15 2004, 2:56 PM EST

TALLAHASSEE -- FloridaChild, the state's largest distributor of corporate-funded private school scholarships, is getting out of the business, citing uncertainty in how much money is available each year.

The Miami-based organization, which is facing state investigation, collects donations from corporations, which then pay for private school tuition for poor children. The corporations get state tax breaks.

Florida Chief Financial Officer Tom Gallagher has threatened an investigation of FloridaChild, saying that it charged families fees to get the scholarships, solicited money from schools that wanted to accept voucher students and had other ``irregularities'' in how it did business.

The organization responded that it hasn't done anything wrong, or anything other suppliers of corporate vouchers hadn't. FloridaChild's original purpose was advocating private school tuition vouchers for all parents.
(snip/...)

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/florida/sfl-115vouchers,0,5436351.story?coll=sfla-news-florida

On edit:

Adding Miami Herald info:

(snip) Posted on Fri, Jan. 16, 2004

MIAMI
AROUND SOUTH FLORIDA

Embattled firm out

of voucher program

A month after it came under investigation for mismanaging millions of dollars, a Miami-based group announced it will stop managing private-school vouchers for thousands of low-income students. All of FloridaChild's 4,000 students will be able to renew their scholarships through a different nonprofit group, but the sudden shutdown raises more questions about the money that passed through the organization.

A December report from state Chief Financial Officer Tom Gallagher accused the group of failing to verify eligibility for many students, inappropriately funding scholarships with a $5.2 million bank loan, and failing to check whether recipients actually showed up at school.
(snip/...)

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/local/states/florida/counties/broward_county/7722459.htm

Crooks!