PA Legislature Deserves an F for Charter School Reform

Pennsylvania Auditor General Eugene DePasquale recently reminded the public that we have the worst charter school system in the country. Easily the worst part of the PA charter school embarrassment has to do with cyber charter schools. Cyber charter schools have shown deplorable results in terms of graduation and student performance and have also wasted a ton of taxpayer money. Here are some of the most recent numbers:

Average Graduation Rates 2015-16:

• PA Public Schools: 86.1%
• PA Cyber Charter Schools: 47.7%

Average School Performance Profile Results 2015-16 (70 is considered passing)

• PA Public Schools: 70.3%
• PA Cyber Charter Schools: 50.9% (9 out of 14 scored below 50)

Total Local PA Taxpayer Money Spent on Cyber Charter Tuition 2013-15

• $1.2 billion

Perhaps the saddest part of our cyber charter system is the funding method. Cyber charters are funded at the same per dium rate as bricks and mortar charter schools. This of course makes no sense because cybers do not have anywhere near the same level of expenses as bricks and mortar schools. Going all the way back to 2012 it was reported by the Auditor General's office that PA taxpayers were being overcharged $365 million a year for charter school tuition. Clearly, much of this has to do with overspending for cyber charters.

On April 25th of this year the PA House passed a charter reform bill. Like most of the recent charter school bills HB 97 had plenty of items that were very favorable to the charter industry. For example, the charter appeals board would now be stacked in favor of charter school interests and it would also extend the years before a public school could review and thereby terminate a charter school. However, HB 97 actually incorporated a separate cyber funding formula which would have saved local school districts $27 million. Amazingly, when the bill got to the Senate the separate funding for cybers was stripped out of the bill. Instead, charter school cheerleaders such as Senator John Eichelberger decided that the funding issue needed further study. For years, local school districts have been providing students with a cyber option for a fraction of what the privately managed charter schools are charging. Clearly, no further studies need to be done to determine that PA is overspending on cyber charters!

Speaking of funding, it should be remembered that the state used to reimburse districts up to 30% of charter school tuition. Tom Corbett and the legislature ended that reimbursement as part of the Corbett education cuts. Cutting the charter reimbusement has meant the loss of millions of dollars for many local districts who now have to ask local taxpayers to make up the difference. The very same legislatures who talk a big game about the importance of charter schools also refuse to properly fund or properly reform charter schools in PA.