Quakertown plans transitional cyber curriculum to entice students back from cyber charters; MOU with union still under negotiation

Administrators told the board they are pursuing a transitional cyber curriculum to attract full‑time students who live in the district but currently attend cyber charter schools.

Dawn Young said the district removed a double‑booked cyber licensing expense from the draft budget and added about $50,000 to cover an initial transitional program. Dr. Freeman explained the administration’s approach: for the first year the district intends to outsource the cyber program to a third‑party provider while it gauges demand, then reconsider longer-term staffing and in‑house offerings. Dr. Freeman said the district is focusing only on students who live in the district and are full‑time in cyber charters or who have indicated they are actively seeking to leave the district for a cyber charter.

Officials said the district is negotiating a memorandum of understanding with the teachers’ union before broadly advertising the program. Dr. Freeman described the MOU negotiations as “very close” and said the administration expects to advertise within roughly two weeks if agreements are finalized. The goal, administrators said, is both to oversee education for students who live in the district and to reduce the outsized spending on cyber charters. Dr. Freeman characterized initial conversations with families and with the Quakertown Community Education Association (QCEA) leadership as positive.

Administrators emphasized this will be a transitional, bridge year: the district will outsource services initially, then assess enrollment and whether to bring work in-house in later years. Young said the budget includes a modest placeholder for the program but that the district will use budget transfers if additional costs arise; the administration plans to report back with finalized MOU language and expected program enrollment before larger multi-year commitments are made.