(The Center Square) – Taxpayer funding of cyber charter schools gets a lot of scrutiny in Harrisburg.
The conversation often focuses on how much money school districts “lose” because students opt for online instruction, though cyber charter administrators said they’re rarely given a chance to challenge that notion.
Such was the case during a House Majority Policy Committee hearing last week, where a Democratic panel of lawmakers heard from districts breaking under the weight of a student exodus. In the Wyoming Area School District, charter school enrollment has grown by 400% since 2020. The trend means $3 million, once used for students at traditional schools, goes to cyber charter schools instead.
Kelley McConnell, chief academic officer for Reach Cyber Charter School, told The Center Square on Thursday that about 3% of students in Pennsylvania have transferred to online learning, and the taxpayer money that follows them is already shaved by 25% to account for lesser overhead costs, like utilities and buses.
“The districts always claim that it is their money, but that’s not true, the money follows the student,” she said. “The district has to get out of talking about it like it belongs to them in some other way.”
Critics say that portions of that money pay for buildings, renovations, and – according to an auditor general report released last year – staff bonuses, gift cards, car payments, and fuel stipends. Meanwhile, the percentage of students scoring at grade level for math and reading hovers in the single digits.
Both distort the facts, however, according to David Taylor, school board president for Reach Cyber Charter School, who said that gift cards are indeed bought.
“The reason why is this. Many of our students qualify for free and reduced lunch; however, as a virtual school we do not have a cafeteria we can send them to,” he told The Center Square. “This is why we send our students and their families small-dollar grocery and Walmart cards so they can be fed.”
He pointed to the state’s universal free breakfast policy “premised on the notion that kids can’t learn on an empty stomach.”
“The same is true for our students,” Taylor said.
What’s not the same is why and how students of cyber charter schools learn. Whether its developmental disabilities, social and emotional problems, or extreme cases of bullying, McConnell said many “flee” district schools where “needs aren’t being met,” often far behind their peers on math and reading.
Still, cyber charters must rent physical spaces, like hotel rooms and church basements, to administer state standardized testing. Most forgo it altogether, making academic achievement scores look so abysmal in comparison.
“Students are coming here because they need something different,” McConnell said.
More than 65,000 students “need something different” in Pennsylvania, according to a statement issued by the leaders of seven different cyber charter schools across the state.
“The $175 million cut from public cyber charter schools last year (which we have estimated to be closer to $300 million by the end of the 2025-26 school year), has already forced some of us to lay off hundreds of invaluable educators and staff to ensure our schools can continue to serve our students,” the leaders said. “These are dedicated professionals who the governor claims to value and respect – as long as they work in public school districts.”
The statement references a change in state law that redefined cyber school accountability, including making students learn with their cameras on, and expanded the amount districts can deduct from money paid. It’s estimated to save $175 million.
Gov. Josh Shapiro wants that figure to rise to $250 million in the coming year. He’s also long supported an $8,000 cap on money sent per student, though cyber charter advocates say such a policy change would close as many as 12 of the 14 available online schools.
He has some support across the aisle. Republican Auditor General Tim DeFoor, who analyzed five of the state’s biggest charter schools and uncovered concerning spending, said lawmakers should reconsider how districts pay tuition, though he didn’t advocate for a specific dollar amount.
