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Solicitor tells Kiski Area board his firm filed suit against Commonwealth Charter Academy and PDE

Kiski Area School District Board of Directors · December 4, 2025
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Summary

District solicitor reported that on Nov. 24 his firm filed a declaratory action in Commonwealth Court against Commonwealth Charter Academy and the Pennsylvania Department of Education, joined by several districts, alleging statutory and nonprofit compliance breaches and citing fund-balance and salary concerns.

The district solicitor informed the Kiski Area School District board on Dec. 3 that his firm filed a declaratory action in Commonwealth Court on Nov. 24 against Commonwealth Charter Academy and the Pennsylvania Department of Education. The filing, he said, includes several school districts as plaintiffs and challenges the charter’s compliance with the Education Act and its nonprofit status.

"Our firm filed a lawsuit against the Commonwealth Charter Academy as well as the Pennsylvania Department of Education," the solicitor said in his report to the board, adding that the complaint is roughly 51 pages and is a public document (SEG 716–751). He said Indiana, the School District of Pittsburgh, Leechburg and Ligonier joined the action to share funding for the suit and that the district is pursuing a declaratory judgment to clarify statutory responsibilities and funding obligations.

The solicitor said the complaint raises concerns about the charter’s academic performance measures and its financial practices, including a large fund balance and what he described as "exorbitant salaries" paid to individuals associated with the charter (SEG 739–747). He said the suit also names the Department of Education because the agency has regulatory responsibility to monitor charter operators.

Board members received the update as an informational report; the solicitor framed the action as part of a broader effort involving other districts to test whether statutory duties and funding oversight have been fulfilled. The solicitor stressed that the filing is public and that the firm limited the number of additional issues pursued so as not to overextend the complaint.

What happens next: The filing proceeds through Commonwealth Court. The transcript records the solicitor’s description of the filing and the districts that joined, but does not include pleadings or the full complaint text in the meeting record.