Superintendents and administrators from 215 member districts in the Pennsylvania Association of Rural and Small Schools have signed a letter calling on state legislators to include “meaningful cyber charter school funding reform” in this year’s state budget. “This is a non-negotiable priority for the financial sustainability of our public school systems and the educational future of our 1.7 million students,” association members wrote in their letter to “Pennsylvania State Legislators.”
“This outdated funding system is bleeding our rural and small school districts dry,” PARSS Executive Director Ed Albert said. “Our member districts are being forced to make impossible choices between raising local property taxes on already-struggling communities or cutting essential educational programs for students.”
The signers said they are seeking:
• A funding formula that reflects the actual costs of online education
• Implementation of a statewide tuition rate for cyber charter schools
• Greater financial transparency and accountability measures
• Special education funding reform that aligns payments with actual services provided.
“Every dollar excessively diverted to cyber charter schools is a dollar taken away from the educational opportunities of the students remaining in our districts,” the letter states. “We stand unified in declaring that cyber charter reform cannot be deferred to another budget cycle.”
Signers include Robert J. Heinrich Jr., superintendent of schools in Indiana Area, where on July 14 the board of directors authorized the filing of a civil suit and declaratory judgment action against more than a dozen cyber charter schools across Pennsylvania by its solicitor Ronald N. Repak and his law firm, Dillon McCandless King Coulter & Graham LLP of Butler.
“We’ve had others reach out,” Repak said. “It includes districts in all areas, as far as Westmoreland, Allegheny, Cambria and Indiana counties.”
Heinrich was troubled in particular about Commonwealth Cyber Academy, which he said was “under investigation for … a wrongful death suit where a 12-year-old girl who was enrolled in a public school in Chester County.”
Other area signers include Dr. Courtney Anderson of Apollo Ridge; William P. Kanich of Blacklick Valley; Kenneth J. Kerchenske of Cambria Heights; Dr. Jason Moore of Central Cambria; Kenneth Jubas of Harmony Area; Dr. Richard E. Lucas of United; Patricia Berezansky of Purchase Line; Ralph Cecere of Homer-Center; Daren Johnston of Penns Manor Area; Greg Ferencak of Derry Area; and Amy Gaston, director of education in Marion Center Area.
