Current News
Cyber funding bill flawed
(Letter to the Editor)
The Dec. 11 editorial in support of drastic changes in the way cyber charter schools are funded displays a lack of understanding of a major public policy issue that has far reaching implications for Pennsylvania students, its public school system, and for the economic vitality of Beaver County.
Will the proposed legislation benefit local districts? No. Originally the bill promised districts full state reimbursement but the amended version eliminates that provision.
In fact, if HB 446 becomes law Aliquippa will eventually pay more than Mt. Lebanon and Ambridge will pay more than Fox Chapel. Beaver Falls, New Brighton, Riverside, Freedom, Rochester, South Side, Western Beaver, Midland and Monaca will all pay more than Upper St. Clair.
Under HB 446, wealthy school districts – like the one in which the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Karen Beyer, lives – will receive a windfall.
The Commonwealth Foundation found that cyber schools in 2005-2006 spent an average of 30 percent less per student than public school districts and that they received less than one percent of what Pennsylvania spent on all public schooling.
The Pittsburgh Tribune Review recently reported that cyber schools actually saved taxpayers $109 million that same year.
In contrast, though HB 446 will reduce funding to cyber schools, it will not provide taxpayers with any tax relief. It will, unfortunately, eliminate or restrict student access to vital educational services they need and deserve.
Finally, PA Cyber is our state’s largest cyber charter school, successfully educating nearly 8,000 students and employing hundreds of committed teachers and other personnel.
The majority of these taxpayers are your neighbors who live in or near Beaver County. The bill will have a negative impact on all of them – and on the local economy.
HB 446 is bad for students, bad for families, and bad for Beaver County.
PA Cyber Charter School
(Beaver County Times, Sunday, Dec. 23, 2007)