Bartow (FL) Christian School Administrators Charged With Voucher Theft

[CShine]

TALLAHASSEE - Seven people who operate a Polk County private school that accepts voucher money from the state were arrested Tuesday on charges ranging from grand theft to racketeering. All were connected with the Faith Christian Academy in Bartow, which accepts state money for disabled students known as McKay Scholarships.

The school is one of several voucher-receiving schools that have been under investigation by Chief Financial Officer Tom Gallagher. His office worked with the Polk County Sheriff's Office, the Polk County state attorney and Bartow police to make the arrests. Six were arrested in Polk County and one in Hillsborough County.

The Polk County state attorney's office was unable to immediately release details of the investigation, but a spokesman said charges were racketeering, conspiracy to racketeer, grand theft and forgery. Charges varied among the seven arrested, said Chip Thullbery, a spokesman for the state attorney's office. A phone number listed for the school was disconnected.

In the school year that began in 2002, about 9,000 students statewide received McKay scholarships.


http://news.tbo.com/news/MGBRXPE62WD.html

[GainesT1958]

1. Living proof that vouchers to schools without public accountability...

Is one heckuva BAD IDEA!x(

B-)

[gatlingforme]

3. hummm, that goes on all over in all counties, villages, etc....

people have to get involved in this when fed money is used. It's a given that some people will take advantage of it.

[tlcandie]

2. But, but they are Christians and they wouldn't do that!!!

Remember...FAITH-based initiatives!! Believe in faith and you will be rewarded handsomely and all your sins melted away...white as snow!

I've heard the saying about absolute power corrupts absolutely. So, what saying is it we will use regarding Christianity being coupled with $$$$ or greed breeds corruption? Something that states all the bullcrap they are pushing on us with faith-based prisons, counseling, etc., etc.

Surely someone can come up with a GREAT saying that hits home on this one! :hi:

[Cerridwen]

8. The Bible, Money, and Corruption

Here are some examples of what the Bible says about money and corruption

Money & The Bible
What The Bible says about money

http://www.christianadvice.net/the_bible_on_money.htm

[Malva Zebrina]

4. It is bound to happen and it will happen again and again

besides forcing citizens to pay for the religious education of children, there is absoultely no accountability and no method of oversight at all.

It seems, we, if this model is to be the parameter, are just expected to hand over our money to religious intstitutions, the majority of them, if not all of them are Christian and CAtholic, and trust they will follow the madantes of their religion to be honest, forthcoming, humble and kind.

No way. They are as greedy and as dishonest as any other.

When there is no oversight to speak of, corruption will occur.

If there is oversight, the entire thing, should it ever become accepted as the way education needs to develop, will cost us as much if not more than is does to fund a public school education today-- at least that is bound to accept all students, even the ones that are disabled.

[DoYouEverWonder]

5. The state of Florida is more than happy

to have the special needs kids out of their system, even if the money is thrown away.

All Jeb cares about is making sure the schools get good grades on the FCAT and one way to do that is to classify all the troublesome kids has ESE.

Has the mother of a gifted dyslexia who has tried to make it work in the public school system, I will take my voucher, thank you very much and run.

[peekaloo]

6. yep and I believe there are current investigations being conducted

on the transferring of troublesome kids from school to school prior to FCAT testing in Polk County.

Leave no child behind to muck up those test scores Jebbie!

[seasat]

7. Wow, how many does this make.

First there were the Rocker schools where the group was accused of not providing service for the McKay vouchers in exchange for tuitions of 7 to 11 K. Next there was the run down mansion that was receiving vouchers. It also came out that some of these schools are receiving voucher money after the kids left the school and returned to public school. There also was the theft of money by one of the voucher charities for the tax deduction funded vouchers. Jeb was also sending voucher money to the private Islamic school that was run by Sami Al Arian. This school was accused by the Shrubs of being a training school for Palestinian terrorists. I'm sure I'm missing some in this list of inept and corrupt practices associated with Florida's three voucher programs.

[DavidFL]

15. Don't forget the charter school near Tallahassee, I think it was...

that was billing the State per student for classroom learning time while these same students were out doing public road clean up work through the charter school's "work study" program and the school was billing the State for that at the same time, too.

[yellowcanine]

9. "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's voucher"? Their defence to God will

be that "It doesn't actually say that so it is ok."

[Fleshdancer]

10. Is this really the best Christian School to send your kids to?

I'm going to make the wild assumption that conspiracy, racketeering, grand theft and forgery is not what Jesus would have done. Just a thought.

[TankLV]

11. I am SOOOOO shocked!

NOT!

[yellowcanine]

12. Some Christians rationalize dishonesty if helps a "ministry". When I

was an undergraduate at a small church college there was a group of several pre-seminary students who got caught cheating in one of the general education courses that everyone had to take. Their excuse was that the course was too hard and since they needed to pass to get into seminary and preach God's word the cheating was justified. I am not making this up.

[Judi Lynn]

13. Another shot at this story from another newspaper

Web posted Wednesday, June 30, 2004

Christian school accused in $200K scam
By STEVEN N. LEVINE
[e-mail]


BARTOW - State officials sent more than $200,000 in education vouchers and federal lunch reimbursement checks to a sham Christian day school headed by a "principal" with three bad check arrests and a series of civil suits, according to a criminal complaint filed by the State Attorney's Office.

Principal Betty J. Mitchell and six relatives or employees of the defunct Faith Christian Academy, 810 E. Main St., Bartow, were accused Tuesday in connection with no-show billings and attempts to hide the school's state windfall from November 2003 to January.

Charged in the complaint Tuesday with racketeering, conspiracy, money laundering and structuring transactions to avoid reporting requirements were the following individuals: Mitchell, 37, whose address court records list as 1629 Old Bartow/Eagle Lake Road, Bartow; her assistant, Levy Gail Everett-Davis, 42, whose address records list as 4124 E. 97th St., Tampa; and Mitchell's sister, Jeannette Jives Nealy, 36, and her mother, Jocie Jives, 60, both of whom list a 3210 Independence St., Lakeland, address.

Mitchell, her sister and mother were additionally charged with grand theft. Mitchell and Nealy were also charged with fraud. Three others, including Margaret Burns, 30, Willie James Jives, 35, and Mitchell's 19-year-old nephew, Demario Q. Jives, 19, all of Lakeland, were charged with the structuring transactions felony alone.
(snip/...)

http://www.polkonline.com/stories/063004/loc_scam.shtml

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Yes, it's a fine week for voucher-huggers, isn't it?

[struggle4progress]

14. Faith-based felonies! Is federal funding available yet? eom