Sullivan Praises Troubled Learnfare
The nation’s top welfare official on Friday commended a Wisconsin experiment tying welfare benefits to school attendance but cautioned officials to resolve the program’s administrative problems.
Health and Human Services Secretary Louis W. Sullivan said his office would continue to monitor the Learnfare program for improvement but had already found the program’s goals “quite laudable.”
Learnfare, started in 1987, trims Aid to Families With Dependent Children benefits to families whose teen-agers skip school. It has been touted as an incentive for teen-agers to continue their education and chances of employment, but has been harshly criticized by welfare advocates.
The program was ordered suspended in Milwaukee schools this week by U.S. District Judge Terence Evans, who cited poor record-keeping that resulted in some families being wrongly penalized.
Evans’ injunction applies only to the 3,200 teen-agers attending Milwaukee public schools who have lost or are in danger of losing welfare benefits under Learnfare. The program continues in other parts of the state.
Sullivan, who was in Marshfield to dedicate a new $6.1-million research center at Marshfield Clinic, said he was not concerned by the judge’s action.
“Obviously, with any program that is new, there are always a number of glitches or problems that might need to be addressed,” he said.
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