Gov. Josh Shapiro has provided a plan to reform the funding of cyber charter schools in his 2024-25 budget. Tuition payment would be capped at $8,000 per student for all districts in the state.
This is a good time to remember that all money for cyber charter schools comes from your own district’s property taxes. You pay to fund your district schools, but charter schools are funded from the school district budget. This means you are funding another totally different entity whether you want to or not.
Cyber charter schools suck millions of dollars from public school districts every year. The range of costs per student goes from $8,631 to $26,564 at these schools. The plan to charge a flat rate for these students would save districts $262 million, a huge amount per year.
The fees some cyber charter schools are charging districts are outrageous and used for advertising “free” schools as well as executive salaries that are quite excessive in some cases. Cyber charter schools are money makers, taking away the funds that should enhance the public schools in whichever district you live.
School district administrators and advocates for public school education have been sounding the alarm about the drain on their budgets for years. Cyber charters are actually publicly funded private schools with no brick and mortar to support and making profits that are over the top.
For the majority of these cyber charters, the performance and achievement of students is very low, which is not hard to comprehend; you have a student, a computer and a teacher who is online. If a child has trouble learning in a classroom with a real-life teacher, placed in various reading and math groups usually based on ability with materials aimed at the child’s level, how in the world can they learn online by themselves?
Just the distraction factor alone is huge. If you are a child at home and have toys, TV, video games and a phone available, or other attention-getting devices, how much attention would you give your actual online schooling?
Many students who are disruptive or ill-behaved in the classroom are recommended for cyber school. How would a cyber school education work for them? What about socialization for these students? There is a great deal of worry from educators about the poor socialization of students as they stay at home and are on a computer most of the day. Teamwork, manners, cooperation, and friendships are gained by on-site learning.
Underfunded schools need additional staff, classroom aides or assistants, especially for children with learning difficulties in various subjects, and additional professional development for their educators. These schools cannot afford these things, making them unable to provide the supports needed by the students in order to succeed.
Montgomery County would receive $13 million in savings from cyber charter spending reforms if Shapiro’s proposal for funding reform is passed. That is a huge chunk of money that could be used to pay for staffing and curriculum to help children in our public schools.
Democrats and Republicans on the Education Funding Commission came to a rare bipartisan agreement that public schools should be reimbursed for the costs they bear because of the funding they lose by paying for students to attend cyber charter schools.
Members of the state Senate and House must realize how unconstitutional our school funding is in this state and make changes to the system. Cyber charter reform is just one way to help.
Nationally, Pennsylvania ranks 45th in overall state funding of education PreK-12 and 50th nationwide in funding the poorest schools. Please bring these underfunded schools up to par financially with wealthy schools and see the results improve.
We can’t get better results with less staff, crumbling and unsafe facilities, old materials and curriculum and low-paid educators who are looking to move elsewhere for a higher salary. Students need stability in their lives and higher salaries will help them stay where they are needed the most.
School funding reform is top of mind as the Legislature and governor negotiate a state budget by the June 30 deadline. Cyber charter reform is one way to help provide the boost public schools need.
Dr. Myra Forrest is a lifelong educator, former school superintendent and currently education advocate for the Pottstown Area Health and Wellness Foundation.
