Dear Senator Corman,

On behalf of the PA Cyber Charter Schools that currently make up the Association, we would like you to know:

  1. Cyber Charter Schools are being unfairly attacked with statistics that are discriminatory and misleading. (see PSBA newsletter April Bulletin, Cyber statistics)
  2. Governor Wolf’s proposed $5,950 per student funding for each Cyber Charter School is based on an average of district IU Cyber programs. One IU runs a Cyber Charter School (21st Century Cyber Charter School). This IU spends $10,737.96 per student to educate the Cyber Charter School student. This is about the average all Cyber Charter Schools spend on their students. If the governor has his way, Cyber Charter Schools would be cut an additional 44% statewide. This would be devastating for Cyber School Students.
  3. House Bill 530 that is now before the Senate has 10+ provisions that would be hard on Cyber Charter Schools. The worst of these are:
  4. The “Funding Advisory Commission” would establish PA Charter Schools and Cyber Charter Schools in particular as second class schools that need to and deserve to be cut.
  5. Cyber Charter School’s funding would be cut by 5-17% immediately depending on the school district
  6. Potentially as much as 10% of a charter school’s budget would immediately be forced into escrow to secure the school’s debt.

For these reasons, we would like for you to know that we are prepared to advocate for the rights and needs of the 38,000 PA Cyber Charter School students that stretch across the state from Erie to Philadelphia and from Scranton to Pittsburgh.

Any way we can be of service to you and your staff, please let us know.

Sincerely,

Dr. James Hanak, CEO, PA Leadership (cyber) Charter School

Donald Asplen, CEO, Achievement House (cyber) Charter School