PLUMBE Minimum 5 years expe CES rT project in West Seog NEW CASH RANGUITEA Pride Air Conditioning & Ay Local NeWS a creter Pain beaches and Treasure Coast | ‘Abuse of state vouchers reaches criminal stage Palm Beach Post Editorial ‘Sunday, February 8, 2004 Fla. voucher programs Continuing coverage from The Palm Beach Post + Archive of past stories If Gov. Bush, Education Commissioner Jim Home and voucher overlord John Kinley had their way, James K. Isenhour never would have been arrested for stealing voucher money. They intentionally created programs with no meaningful oversight. The "Education" Department - which under Mr. Horne has earned the quotation marks ~ let Isenhour, a bankrupt Ocaia businessman, collect and keep $268,125 in voucher donations. Every penny was required to go to students. None of it did. Only after The Post pointed out isenhour's ‘business fallings and questioned his use of vouchers did Mr. Home stop Isenhour's Silver Archer Foundation from collecting Isenhour is charged with looting the corporate-tax voucher program, which gives companies a dollar-for-doliar tax break for donations. The Legislature passed it in 2001 after Mr. Kirtley made a $100,000 donation to the Republican Party of Florida. Mr. Kirley, Gov. Bush and Mr. Hore opposed financial oversight of the scholarship organizations ~ one of whi ‘Mr. Kirtley runs — until newspaper articles detailed several scandals, Inciuding Isenhour's shenanigans and the receipt of ‘$300,000 in corporate vouchers by a Tampa Islamic school founded by an accused terrorist. ‘Mr. Home tried to take credit for the Isenhour/Silver Archer investigation. "DOE acted swifly in referring this matter to the| appropriate authorities,” spokeswoman Frances Marine said after Isenhour’s arrest. In fact, "the authorities” -- Florida Chief Financial Officer Tom Gallagher — already had started an investigation based on media revelations. Investigations have uncovered extensive problems with corporate vouchers and abuses in @ voucher program for the \teebiod and in sciinisilon of Nude tos! progr. The abuses Ino mkidlnnay erg fo i Ehert | ‘vouchers to home-schoolers and private schools taking special-education vouchers without hiring special-education faculty. A private school may have forged parents’ signatures on voucher checks. I