Founding of PCCSA
Public Cyber Charter School Association (PCCSA) was founded in 2015 by a group of seven Cyber Charter CEO’s who recognized that, while we as Cyber Schools may be in competition with each other, the real threat to our success are forces beyond our sphere of influence. From time to time, nine of the 14 current Cyber Charter Schools have participated in various activities of the Association. The current active members of the Association represent 1/3 of all PA Cyber Charter School students.
Cyber Charter Schools in Pennsylvania are a unique form of schooling that were officially recognized in 2002 with the passage of the Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School legislation (Section 1741-A).
Cyber Charter students may attend no matter what town or school district they live in as long as they live in Pennsylvania.
Cyber Charter Schools can attract students that are struggling in their current traditional school setting. For that reason, Cyber Charter School students may score low on standardized achievement tests until they have been with the Cyber School for more than a year. These low scores lay the foundation for negative criticism of Cyber Charter Schools. In order to more effectively serve these (and all) Cyber Students, the PCCSA was formed to enable Cyber Schools to share best practices.
Because the local school district money follows the Cyber Charter School student to the Cyber Charter of their choice, and because now almost all 500 school districts have Cyber Charter Students, there is push back from local school districts who are concerned that their tax dollars are being spent on student that are not under their direct care and supervision. For this reason, the PCCSA advocates for all Cyber Charter Schools to promote positive legislation and to hinder legislation that might harm the Cyber Charter School movement.
What PCSSA Does
The PCCSA has:
- Hosted Conferences to enable sharing of ideas among All Charter Schools.
- Networked divisions of the Cyber Charter School movement to enable each division to function more effectively and efficiently.
- Cooperated with other like minded organizations to evaluate, support / oppose and communicate widely information on legislation that affects the Cyber Charter School movement.
- Hosted periodic meetings of Cyber Charter School CEO’s to encourage cooperation and coordination for all PCCSA efforts.
How to Get Involved with PCCSA
Any school or individual may discover what opportunities are available by contacting: