Continuing to hold schools' feet to the fire, state education officials on Thursday ordered two more voucher schools out of the program: Sharon Junior Academy and Texas Bufkin Academy.

Both schools have long histories in the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program, which allows low-income children to attend private schools using state-funded tuition vouchers.

The two schools refused to allow Journal Sentinel reporters to visit during the 2004-'05 school year.

State officials said they are still owed money the schools were supposed to return last school year. Tony Evers, deputy state superintendent, says Texas Bufkin owes the state about $25,400 that it was overpaid last fall. Sharon Junior Academy owes about $1,600, he said.

"If their auditors say they owe us money and they don't pay us back, and we give them about six months, there's just no more wiggle room," Evers said.

But Brenda Crockett, the head of Sharon Junior's board of directors, said she was surprised to hear the state wanted to kick her school out of the program. "The last time I spoke with them, all reports were complete and everything was fine."

In a statement, Texas Bufkin, the head of Texas Bufkin Academy, said her school was not overpaid by the state Department of Public Instruction last fall. "DPI issued an order barring the school from the program without any hearing on the issue of overpayment," the statement read. "As a result, the school has been stripped of our right to due process and a right to be heard."

The DPI increasingly has been cracking down on schools that state officials believe are out of compliance with choice program regulations. In the past, Evers said, the department would not have been able to go after schools for overpayment because the independent audit process was not as extensive as it is now.

In her statement, Bufkin said the "DPI's action will damage the reputation of the school and harm children, parent [sic] and employees."

Evers countered that "we really bent over backwards to accommodate them." The order removing the school from the program cites different letters the school received about the overpayment. In March, for instance, the school received a letter from the department detailing preliminary audit findings and the appeal process, according to the order.

Texas Bufkin Academy, 827 N. 34th St., joined the program in 1998. Last year, it had about 50 students during the first semester and was paid approximately $250,865. Sharon Junior Academy, 1369 W. Meinecke Ave., also joined the program in 1998. It had about 55 students during the first semester, and was paid about $339,780 in public funds.

The move Thursday by the DPI brings to seven the total number of schools ordered out of the program since the start of the 2005-'06 school year.

The last school the department kicked out of the program, Sa'Rai and Zigler Upper Excellerated Academy, which was cited in May, did not appeal the decision.