[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6243149,"mediaKeyId","3242079-e8c4707db0bdfbf376533baab1302845","parentId",3242079,"title","Advocates and superintendents tell committee IEPs and attendance often fail students in cyber charters","audioSeconds",5054,"startMs",645000,"endMs",5699000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3242079-e8c4707db0bdfbf376533baab1302845&start=645&end=5699","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3242079-e8c4707db0bdfbf376533baab1302845/thumbnail_645000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6243149/Pennsylvania/Advocates-and-superintendents-tell-committee-IEPs-and-attendance-often-fail-students-in-cyber-charters","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6243149-0dd462f7c2282d6fd44b39c873a302c1/orig.mp4?Expires=1771091093&Signature=Qz-2MBFe2zzZQm6WH8yeiY5J6v12vzNXFYTn-YBDGTaHxMi12VIN0Bi~zNcXsvKStS9Y~lkUokya24fbpT5rTaFT2dpopGIl3prxEEzcn4~sh-8JU3XuFnwPG6JFRswf3WZhFrhOqEjy5BK67j9SOT3cLHQsk1GcDS6~zBzygmMBwsDgL3d~Vi28kc5gIa3wkp9WNfPrzWDS4W-3Ny0pj4bqgs2ExgndPdD26nezHGE2WS3iweQmxA3uXUDUppGE~n0ge24iQkhgwYDaHHkg1FgT2UhVj3H5KRL-ki0OwFm-JbUt3czM6NqoNy5PDY-yWMJh-b~EpkVUv4fFJGog4w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Pennsylvania House of Representatives","date","2025-05-09T06:04:46Z","article","Witnesses at a House Education Committee hearing presented anecdotal and data-based concerns that some students with disabilities do not receive required services in cyber charter settings and that attendance and churn complicate academic oversight.

\"Based on intakes to the Education Law Center, we receive a high percentage of cases from cyber charter specifically with regard to students with disabilities who are not having their needs met,\" Maura McInerney said, describing cases where Individualized Education Program (IEP) services were not implemented or were dropped while a student was enrolled in a cyber charter.

Why it matters: Several witnesses said students with disabilities and those who are behind academically can be disproportionately represented in cyber enrollment, and that returning students sometimes require remedial services after rejoining their home districts.

Key points from testimony

- IEP implementation: McInerney testified that attorneys at ELC have handled many matters where students' IEPs were not implemented in cyber charters, or where services were reduced or discontinued. \"In many instances, IEPs are not being implemented,\" she said, adding that the Education Law Center sees this pattern in their case intakes rather than as a comprehensive statewide audit.

- Special-education counts and costs: McInerney said roughly 20% of students in cyber charters receive special-education funding compared with roughly 17% in school districts, and that charter special-education payments are currently flat (not tiered), producing widely varying per-pupil special-education tuition amounts.

- Attendance and churn: Superintendent Cosmos Curry described attendance rules for his district'run cyber program, including daily log-in and assignment requirements and limits on falling behind. Curry and others said churn'students moving between cyber and home districts'creates reimbursement and service complications because districts may continue to be billed for students who left or whose residency changed.

- Residency and extracurricular billing: Curry told the committee his district sometimes discovers students attending cyber programs who do not live in the district; he said districts are legally obligated to bill cyber programs for prorated extracurricular costs but often receive no payment.

Committee questions and concerns

- Several legislators asked whether students who return from cyber settings were already behind academically, and witnesses said both situations occur: some students struggle before enrollment; others fall behind while enrolled in cyber programs. McInerney said ELC's intakes more often come from former cyber enrollments.

- Lawmakers pressed for better data. Representative Mary Isaacson and others asked whether PDE or Penn Data can track first-identification of special-education status; witnesses said PDE could obtain that information but it was not available in the public Penn Data dashboard.

Ending and next steps

Witnesses urged the committee to require more detailed annual reporting by PDE on special-education enrollment by disability category, churn rates and attendance measures, and to consider aligning special-education funding between cyber charters and districts so dollars follow student needs. Committee members asked staff to compile specific data requests for PDE.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Education Committee -- May 8, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Testimony and Q&A focused on special-education implementation, attendance verification and churn: advocates said cyber charters frequently fail to implement IEPs and returning students may be behind; district leaders described challenges verifying residency, billing for extracurriculars and tracking churn.","taxTitle","Education, House of Representatives, Legislative, Pennsylvania","taxId",29235,"location","Pennsylvania","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6243154,"Committee presses for stronger oversight, public reporting and board transparency for cyber charter schools",646,4499000,5145000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3242079-e8c4707db0bdfbf376533baab1302845&start=4499&end=5145","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3242079-e8c4707db0bdfbf376533baab1302845/thumbnail_4499000.jpg","/articles/6243154/Pennsylvania/Committee-presses-for-stronger-oversight-public-reporting-and-board-transparency-for-cyber-charter-schools","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6243154-4c1f674bbf68f90b4239b4e29bf5059d/orig.mp4?Expires=1771091093&Signature=obSu5HdvQ4YaSJSTBszbYjJVL37rMxyI0drTa3ySOy5fFOzs7b4wS7BJGqeXt1j9neYEgeLPyYi3jLoxeHW~0rDKK015nG8jT~jyNNl9s6-JhVyeHYL6HauZ7vMCOi2Fveo~Y1MGNzbTy4x0LaUByQEbS8qxOdgVKCixNRTalMXKYuJHZMuC3p~7xXyHjN-Xq4JFY-mISXbOcsCh31qXR44W6NNZHrTBYef1yypHxa-hLVbtNzjoqh23dnnrEWgodkoUdjafTH4d8YnE3f9br-vKDT~WUOlqhNVloHRNlTdMeS1~ocXG0~EJTcKKo62njlLeHssZNH2YgSoW2PU6GQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Lawmakers at a House Education Committee hearing in Stroudsburg pressed for tighter governance, transparency and state-level oversight of cyber charter schools after witnesses described persistent gaps in authorizing and public accountability.

\"Cyber charter schools are publicly funded schools and should be held at the same standards and requirements of districts,\" Stroudsburg Area School District Superintendent Cosmos Curry told the committee, urging a standard renewal review, public reporting and clearer attendance and enrollment verification. Curry pointed to state performance data showing many cyber programs fall in the lower tiers for academic achievement and growth.

Why it matters: Several witnesses described differences in how cyber-charter boards operate versus elected local school boards. Kevin Buscher of the Pennsylvania School Boards Association said district school boards are accountable to voters; by contrast, he said trustees of cyber boards are privately selected and can be harder for the public to monitor.

Specific governance concerns from testimony

- Renewal and authorizing: Maura McInerney told the committee that, in 2022, 11 of 14 cyber charter schools were operating without renewed charters and that many had not undergone enrollment or financial audits. She recommended that the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) adopt clear standards for renewal, nonrenewal and the imposition of enrollment caps for chronically failing cyber charters and publish an annual report to the General Assembly on cyber outcomes and enforcement actions.

- Board transparency: Kevin Buscher said locally elected school boards meet in public, post agendas and answer to voters. \"Who do the cyber board members answer to? Privately selected boards ... can sometimes suffer from a lack of accountability,\" he said, urging more public-facing board practices for cyber trustees.

- Spending transparency and caps: McInerney and other witnesses urged statutory limits on spending categories such as advertising and event sponsorships and called for caps on unassigned fund balances similar to those that apply to school districts.

- Audits and enforcement: Testimony cited auditor general findings documenting questionable uses of public funds at some cyber schools and called for the Department of Education to have clearer authority and practice to deny renewals or revoke licenses when schools fail to meet academic or fiscal standards.

Directions and requests to lawmakers

- Several witnesses urged the General Assembly to require PDE to issue an annual public report to the legislature summarizing cyber charter performance on attendance, churn rates, special-education data by disability category, academic performance outcomes and financial performance.

- PSBA recommended building on Act 55 of 2024 and expanding statutory requirements for trustee financial disclosures and public meeting practices.

Ending

Committee members asked staff to compile examples of corporate spending and public reporting practices and to follow up with PDE on the status of renewals and audit enforcement. No formal enforcement action was taken at the hearing.","Witnesses urged clearer authorizing rules, public reporting by the Department of Education and restrictions on cyber charter spending. Discussion focused on board accountability, renewal standards and audit findings.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6243159,"House committee hears competing proposals to change cyber charter tuition; governor proposes $8,000 cap",8766,574000,9340000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3242079-e8c4707db0bdfbf376533baab1302845&start=574&end=9340","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3242079-e8c4707db0bdfbf376533baab1302845/thumbnail_574000.jpg","/articles/6243159/Pennsylvania/House-committee-hears-competing-proposals-to-change-cyber-charter-tuition-governor-proposes-8000-cap","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6243159-4cadd9c70b982148691d333ce5204e88/orig.mp4?Expires=1771091093&Signature=L5iq0EyO9xK~hJ-NNYh2MgpyLseiWw7y176pLOwqznw~cbJhQIo~Ju2aKDJXUREpdFXMpj5HP4ww9Ul8Rdm2IHroeizc8r0c9-D-oZxP0RFStCiXTgeQ7RGDjAy97I8W3nmPOyXI8kT47axbqHM7mO3aaxMl-qJfy46oabhvsoDETlhk5CPm58XnL2kB6FofLgKQ~mjtjlFd20AFJcp7atkxPthmCW~PPYyay0VuZb~rhlS46Jj3skxNeDT1lU0x32AAewM0uFiQcpIMkdZZMZqGmW~BuGIRt0kEP19R-OEdRAwhIuTcQ1II9T98-2YIsjkXtLFf6V8WELLb4rQg1w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Lawmakers and witnesses at a House Education Committee hearing in Stroudsburg on cyber charter governance spent much of the session debating how the Commonwealth should pay for cyber charter schooling and whether the current per-pupil payments are equitable.

The most concrete proposal discussed was Governor Josh Shapiro's 2025-26 budget suggestion to limit local district payments to cyber charters to a flat $8,000 per regular-education pupil. \"The rate is based on cyber's estimated actual costs and would save districts millions of dollars,\" said Maura McInerney, legal director of the Education Law Center (ELC), who testified in favor of the cap and said ELC also supports a tiered special-education rate that would align payments with the costs of serving students with different disability needs.

Why it matters: Witnesses and legislators said the current system drives large, uneven tuition payments because cyber charter tuition is calculated from the sending district's per-pupil spending. \"Per pupil tuition rates also vary widely for students who are educated in cyber charters because it depends on the tuition rate of the district that they are coming from,\" McInerney testified, citing a range offered in written testimony for recent years as roughly $8,917 to $23,799 per pupil. Committee members said the wide variation is a central cause of local budget pressure and calls for statewide reform.

Key details and disputes

- Flat-rate proposal: McInerney told the committee that ELC supports the governor's proposed $8,000 statewide rate for district payments to cyber charters. She said the figure reflects an attempt to align payments with typical cyber operating costs rather than a brick-and-mortar cost model.

- Special education: McInerney recommended extending the same tiered special-education funding that districts use to cyber charters. \"We should direct dollars based on student costs of the students that they are serving,\" she said, arguing that current flat special-education allotments to charters create incentives to enroll lower-cost students.

- Scale and revenue: Jonathan Sciota, business administrator for 20 First Century Cyber Charter School, said cyber students made up roughly 3.84% of statewide public enrollment in 2023-24 (about 60,000 students) and that cyber tuition accounts for about 3.14% of district revenue. \"Some communities have higher cyber enrollment, and that creates more financial strain,\" he said, urging policy that reflects local differences rather than one-size-fits-all rules.

- Fund balances: Committee members noted conflicting figures about cyber charter fund balances cited in testimony. McInerney referenced research suggesting charter fund balances are higher than district balances; other participants cited larger per-pupil fund-balance differences. Lawmakers asked witnesses to reconcile those numbers in follow-up materials.

What witnesses asked lawmakers to do

- ELC and others asked the General Assembly to enact a statewide cap (the $8,000 proposal was repeatedly cited) and to adopt the same tiered special-education reimbursement that applies to school districts.

- Some school district leaders said a single statewide cap would be administrable and could immediately reduce the tuition pressure on underfunded districts; Stroudsburg Area School District Superintendent Cosmos Curry said an $8,000 cap would save his district several million dollars a year.

Responses and cautions

- Cyber charter representatives warned that deep cuts could have unintended consequences for students who rely on cyber options. Jonathan Sciota said the sector serves a higher share of economically disadvantaged and nonwhite students than commonly recognized and that abrupt funding reductions could harm those students.

- Several representatives and witnesses urged that fiscal reform be accompanied by accountability measures so that any savings are redirected into instruction or returned to taxpayers rather than absorbed as administrative savings.

Ending

Committee members asked staff to collect clearer comparative cost data from school districts and cyber providers before drafting legislation. Lawmakers emphasized the goal articulated repeatedly in the hearing: to design a funding approach that aligns payments with actual instructional costs, treats special-education needs consistently, and reduces budgetary surprises for sending districts.","Lawmakers and witnesses at a House Education Committee informational hearing debated funding methods for Pennsylvania's cyber charter schools, focusing on a governor's proposal to set an $8,000 statewide payment, calls for a tiered special-education rate, and disputed figures about per-pupil payments and fund balances.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Advocates and superintendents tell committee IEPs and attendance often fail students in cyber charters

Committee presses for stronger oversight, public reporting and board transparency for cyber charter schools

House committee hears competing proposals to change cyber charter tuition; governor proposes $8,000 cap