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On July 30, 2022, the Observer-Reporter published an editorial, Charter school laws need to be reformed in Pennsylvania. CCA responded to the editorial by submitting the following letter to the editor to the Observer-Reporter on August 2, 2022. Dear Editor: The July 30 editorial, “Charter school laws need to be reformed in Pennsylvania,” is not […]
08/08/2022
On July 30, 2022, the Observer-Reporter published an editorial, Charter school laws need to be reformed in Pennsylvania.
CCA responded to the editorial by submitting the following letter to the editor to the Observer-Reporter on August 2, 2022.
Dear Editor:
The July 30 editorial, “Charter school laws need to be reformed in Pennsylvania,” is not only off the mark, but it’s also misleading.
My educated guess is that the editorial board has never visited or taken the time to learn about public cyber charter schools or explored why families choose a public cyber charter school over their local district.
Contrary to the editorial board’s claim, as public schools, cyber charter schools are subject to the same transparency and accountability requirements as school districts. With the exception of being allowed to have 25 percent of their teaching staff non-certified, public cyber charter schools are bound by the same laws and regulations regarding finances, board meetings, the Sunshine Act, the Right-to-Know Law, state audits, and oversight by the state Department of Education.
Districts that say that students attending public cyber charter schools result in property tax increases are manipulating the data to fit their anti-public-school choice narrative.
As of the 2020-21 school year, school districts across the state collected more than $33.6 billion in revenues. During the same year, school districts paid public cyber charter schools approximately $1 billion – less than 3 percent of the total revenues collected by districts – cyber charters are not resulting in increased property taxes. In addition, school districts collectively amassed nearly $5.3 billion in reserve funds.
School districts don’t have a revenue problem; they lack the ability or desire to break from the status quo and recognize that they have let families down.
Dr. Janet Sardon is quoted as saying, “cyber and charter school tuition payments make ‘our mission and what we’re doing in the best interest of kids much more difficult to achieve.’”
Perhaps, Dr. Sardon should redirect her focus on learning why students and families refuse to attend district-run schools by seeking what public cyber charter schools offer.
Mission statements are just words; what matters is how you treat and work with families.
