Press Releases

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MADISON - State Representative Cory Mason commented today on the unfolding situation at Racine's St. John Fisher Academy, a taxpayer-funded private voucher school which had not paid its teachers for months.

 

"This situation at St. John Fisher Academy may have been prevented if Sen. Van Wanggaard would have voted for common sense accountability," said Rep. Mason. "Instead, Sen. Wanggaard voted for a state budget that brought these taxpayer-funded voucher schools to Racine and lowered accreditation standards for private voucher schools. He later voted against an amendment that would have created a statewide accountability system for all taxpayer-funded schools, including private voucher schools. (Senate Amendment 7 to SB 461).

 

"To make matters worse, Sen. Wanggaard was the lead author of a bill (Assembly Bill 94) which would have prevented private voucher schools from using Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) and would have prohibited DPI from using the strictest measures it might need to ensure full accountability at voucher school," continued Rep. Mason.

 

Rep. Mason said, "Sen. Wanggaard can't have it both ways. He can't spend his first year and a half in office derailing accountability measures for taxpayer-funded private voucher schools and then, with his political future in the balance, as teachers aren't getting paid due to this lack of oversight and accountability, suddenly claim to favor accountability."

 

Rep. Mason concluded, "Van Wanggaard's actions speak louder than his words on accountability. All employers have to pay their employees for the work they've done, including the voucher schools that Van Wanggaard supports."

 

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