Recently, Pennsylvania Auditor General Timothy DeFoor highlighted important issues with our cyber charter school law and called for reform – making him the third auditor general to come to this same conclusion. The report noted that despite these reports and recommendations, “no significant or far reaching action has been taken to address this issue.” My legislation would fix that by modernizing our out-of-date charter school law, in a reform that is grounded in common sense principles and fairness that applies the same rules to cyber charter schools that already apply to traditional public schools.
Reviews of cyber charter school invoices recently obtained by Education Voters of PA uncovered millions of taxpayer dollars spent on handing out gift cards to students, sponsoring professional sports teams, and taxpayer-funded advertising to promote schools that rank among the lowest in the state. My legislation would set new rules to address this type of spending that doesn’t help educate our students but continues to raise property taxes throughout the state.
We can reform our cyber charter school law to make our system better, modernizing the law to protect taxpayers, ensure good governance, and preserve school choice. And, most importantly, make sure every student can learn in an environment where they will have the opportunity to succeed.
Fiscal Responsibility & Funding Reform - Transparency and reasonable restrictions on event sponsorships and other expenses not related to providing an education for students.
- A standard statewide cyber charter tuition rate of $8,000, as proposed by Governor Shapiro in his budget proposal, ending the wide disparity in rates affecting tuition even for students attending the same cyber charter school and better reflecting the actual cost of cyber education.
- Implementing the same tiered Special Education Fair Funding Formula used by public schools for cyber charter school special education funding, directing dollars based upon the needs and cost of each student so that every student gets the support they deserve.
Refocusing Money on Educating Students
- Caps on unassigned fund balances, like school districts have, to make sure the money cyber charter schools receive goes directly towards educating our children.
- Requiring cyber charter schools to demonstrate that they’re spending the money they receive for special education on those services – so that it’s either spent on the students or returned to the taxpayers.
Good Governance for Public Funds
- Requiring cyber charter school board meetings to follow the Sunshine Act.
- Expanding conflict of interest provisions, ethics standards, and public reporting for cyber charter schools and their associated charter school foundations and educational management service providers, so that they follow the same rules as our school districts.
- Setting clear and standard processes for applications to create, amend, or renew a charter for a cyber charter school.
- Holding cyber charter schools accountable for the results they’re delivering to our children and taxpayers, with expanded transparency and requiring comprehensive reviews, including academic performance and financial management and governance, prior to renewing their charters.
Together, we can hold cyber charter schools to the same standards we expect of anyone who receives public funds, including transparency, ethical standards, and greater oversight of spending. And we can make sure that these public funds are spent on actually educating students – or returned to the taxpayers.
Please join me as I re-introduce comprehensive legislation, which passed in the House with bipartisan support last session, to reform our broken cyber charter school law. Change is long overdue and has been called for by over 90 percent of school districts, legislators and auditor generals from both parties, and many Pennsylvania residents. It’s time to listen, and I hope you’ll join me in co-sponsoring this much-needed legislation.
Prior Co-Sponsors (HB 1422): CIRESI, MADDEN, ISAACSON, SMITH-WADE-EL, SCHLOSSBERG, HANBIDGE, WEBSTER, GUENST, SANCHEZ, D. WILLIAMS, HOHENSTEIN, HADDOCK, PROBST, HOWARD, DELLOSO, ADAMS, HILL-EVANS, KAZEEM, MALAGARI, PIELLI, SALISBURY, BURNS, SHUSTERMAN, OTTEN, VITALI, RABB, FRIEL, CURRY, KENYATTA, STURLA, BOROWSKI, O'MARA, BENHAM, FIEDLER, CEPEDA-FREYTIZ, VENKAT, DONAHUE, CERRATO, BRIGGS, KRUEGER, BOYD, SAPPEY, TAKAC, T. DAVIS, KHAN and SCOTT
Statutes/Laws affected: Printer's No. 1568 (May 02, 2025): P.L.30, No.14, P.L.390, No.212, P.L.6, No.3