JOHNSTOWN, PA — The Pennsylvania House Education Committee hosted its second hearing on May 2 in Johnstown as part of a statewide effort to address the financial implications of cyber charter school funding on taxpayers and school districts. The session, held at Greater Johnstown High School, brought together education experts, school officials, and legislators to discuss the urgent need for reform.
“Today, we had a robust conversation with education experts and officials on the financial impacts the current funding system for cyber charters is having on Pennsylvania’s schools, the community and taxpayers,” said Rep. Peter Schweyer (D-Lehigh), Majority Chair of the House Education Committee. “It is extremely alarming to see cyber charter school revenues dramatically increase as their student achievement and growth dramatically decrease. I truly believe these hearings along with the Auditor General’s cyber charter audit are the wakeup calls to make meaningful and long overdue cyber charter reform.”
Key testimonies highlighted the financial challenges school districts face under the current cyber charter funding model. Michael Dadey, Assistant to the Superintendent for the Greater Johnstown School District, described the escalating costs. “Unfortunately, one of the most significant and unsustainable burdens we face is the ever-increasing cost of cyber charter school tuition. The result is a broken funding formula that allows cyber charter schools to receive far more than it costs to educate students in a virtual setting,” Dadey said.
Participants in the hearing included the Pennsylvania Association of School Business Officials, Greater Johnstown School District officials, and a member of the Westmont Hilltop School Board. Discussions focused on the disproportionate financial demands cyber charters place on traditional public school systems and their communities.
Schweyer announced that the final hearing in this statewide tour will take place next week in Stroudsburg. These hearings, combined with findings from the Auditor General’s ongoing audit, aim to provide the groundwork for potential legislative reforms targeting greater financial accountability and equitable funding in cyber charter schools.
The series of hearings underscores growing bipartisan recognition of the urgent need to address cyber charter funding practices in Pennsylvania. Upcoming legislative proposals could chart a path toward a more balanced, sustainable system that prioritizes student outcomes while alleviating taxpayer burden.
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