Transcription
Cyber Charter School SpendingNew Report Raises New ConcernsOver Use of Taxpayer DollarsOUR MISSION: To Prepare All Students for Tomorrow’s Challenges Opportunities1
Cyber Charter School Funding - New Report Raises New ConcernsCommonwealth Charter Academy(CCA)Background PMSD has 216 regular ed and 46 special ed students attending CCA CCA has the largest enrollment of PMSD students of any other cyber charter school CCA is the largest cyber charter school in PA 2021-22 CCA enrollment 20,000 students Established as Commonwealth Connections Academy in 2003 Name changed to Commonwealth Charter Academy in 2016 Prior to 2016, CCA relied exclusively on “out-of-state, national education managementcompany, Connections Academy for the majority of its services to meet student needs”Education Voters of PA – May 23, 2022CCA News Release – February, 04, 2016OUR MISSION: To Prepare All Students for Tomorrow’s Challenges Opportunities2
Cyber Charter School Funding - New Report Raises New ConcernsCommonwealth Charter Academy(CCA)Background CCA refuses to reimburse PMSD the full amount of the per-pupil-cost for its students toparticipate in PMSD athletics and extra-curricular activities from 2016 to the present CCA established an arbitrary amount of 500 per sport or activity that is not based on actualcosts PMSD raised the issue to PDE for resolution (Letter dated August 17, 2017) Hearing testimony clearly established CCA made up a formula for what it would pay PMSD for itsstudents to participate in District-funded activities CCA continues to refuse to pay its fair share for its students to participate in PMSD activities asoutlined in the PA Charter School Law PDE fails to address the issue allowing CCA to keep funds that should go to PMSD to offset costof activities being provided by the District for CCA cyber charter students.Education Voters of PA – May 23, 2022PMSD Letters to PDE Documenting CCA Student Activity IssueOUR MISSION: To Prepare All Students for Tomorrow’s Challenges Opportunities3
Cyber Charter School Funding - New Report Raises New ConcernsCommonwealth Charter Academy(CCA)New ConcernsCCA emails, blank reimbursement forms and Facebookpage screenshots reveal the following for 2021-22 schoolyear: Sending every family a cash payment of 150 Providing 250 “community class” cash reimbursementfor each student enrolled Providing 200 “personal field trip” cash reimbursementfor each student enrolledEducation Voters of PA – May 23, 2022OUR MISSION: To Prepare All Students for Tomorrow’s Challenges Opportunities4
Cyber Charter School Funding - New Report Raises New ConcernsCommonwealth Charter Academy(CCA)New ConcernsFamily discussions on how to spend CCA-providedreimbursements funding through your tax dollars: Purchase meals and games at Dave and Bustersarcade Attend a Mötley Crüe concert Take a trip to Austria Buy Eagles tickets Take family vacations to Universal Studios and Disney Pay for scuba, ski and horseback riding lessonsEducation Voters of PA – May 23, 2022Info Obtained from CCA Parents Facebook PagesOUR MISSION: To Prepare All Students for Tomorrow’s Challenges Opportunities5
Cyber Charter School Funding - New Report Raises New ConcernsCommonwealth Charter Academy(CCA)CCA Marketing for NEW Enrollment One paid field trip per month Paid school social field trips to locations including: Sky Zone in Lancaster, Blue Mountain Resort’sSummit Ariel Park, laser tag, rock climbing,bowling, kayaking Annual 450 student reimbursement for field trips Families will receive up to 240/month for participationin group field trips Pays for student and two caretakers to attend two(2) paid field trips per monthEducation Voters of PA – May 23, 2022OUR MISSION: To Prepare All Students for Tomorrow’s Challenges Opportunities6
Cyber Charter School Funding - New Report Raises New ConcernsCommonwealth Charter Academy(CCA)CCA Marketing for NEW Enrollment Families will receive 75/month cash payments as partof a Instructional Technology Subsidy (increase from 50 in 2021-22) Families will receive 300/student “community class”cash reimbursement for each student enrolled(increased from 250 in 2021-22)Education Voters of PA – May 23, 2022CCA Digital Marketing AdvertisementsOUR MISSION: To Prepare All Students for Tomorrow’s Challenges Opportunities7
Cyber Charter School Funding - New Report Raises New ConcernsCommonwealth Charter Academy(CCA) CCA has not been audited by the state in nearly a decade No state oversight to its 313 million expenditures in 2020-21 Cyber charter schools cash payments to families are paid through YOUR tax dollars Cyber charter school payments for private family trips are paid through YOUR tax dollarsEducation Voters of PA – May 23, 2022OUR MISSION: To Prepare All Students for Tomorrow’s Challenges Opportunities8
PA Cyber Charter School FundingCyber Charter School Funding Governor Wolf proposed establishing a statewide cyber charter school tuition rate of 9,500 per student per year Education Voters of PA proposed establishing a statewide cyber charter schooltuition rate of 5,000 to 8,865 per student per year Rationale for establishing a statewide standard cyber charter school tuition rate forstudents: Cyber charter schools receive the same tuition payment from school districts asbrick-and mortar charter schools despite having lower expenses charter schooltuition payments calculated by school districts are based on districts’ expenses Charter school tuition payments bear no relation to the costs needed by cybercharter schools to provide online educational programEducation Voters of PA – May 23, 2022PSBA, Meaningful Charter ReformOUR MISSION: To Prepare All Students for Tomorrow’s Challenges Opportunities9
PA Cyber Charter School FundingCyber Charter School Funding Cyber charter school tuition rate calculation includes several school district expensesthat cyber charter schools do not have Wide discrepancies in the amount of tuition paid by school districts for the sameeducation Comprehensive Charter School Law reform could save school districts about 229million per year Cyber Charter Schools are funded for special education services the schools areNOT providing to studentsEducation Voters of PA – May 23, 2022PSBA, Meaningful Charter ReformOUR MISSION: To Prepare All Students for Tomorrow’s Challenges Opportunities10
PMSD Cyber Charter School CostsPMSD Proposed Final Budget Presentation – May 4, 2022OUR MISSION: To Prepare All Students for Tomorrow’s Challenges Opportunities11
PMSD Cyber Charter School CostsPMSD Proposed Final Budget Presentation – May 4, 2022OUR MISSION: To Prepare All Students for Tomorrow’s Challenges Opportunities12
PMSD Cyber Charter School Funding Reform ProposalsOUR MISSION: To Prepare All Students for Tomorrow’s Challenges Opportunities13
PA Cyber Charter School FundingCommon Claim about Cyber Charter School FundingSchool Districts keep 25% of the funding Cyber Charter Schools should receive.This common claim made by cyber charter school lobbyist/operators ignores that fact that cybercharter schools are funded based on the local school district’s operating costs, NOT on the cybercharter school’s actual costs to educate students PDE regulations allow school districts to subtract certain expenditures that are unique todistrict from its total budgeted expenditures in its calculation of the annual charter schooltuition rate No basis for claim that allowable deductions equal 25% of district’s budgeted expendituresIronically, the best chart I’ve found to date that illustrate the calculation of cyber charterschool tuition was on the PA Virtual Academy website, a cyber charter schoolNo where in the current cybercharter tuition rate formula do yousee ANY mention of the actualeducational costs/expenditures ofcyber charter schools to operateOUR MISSION: To Prepare All Students for Tomorrow’s Challenges Opportunities14
PA Cyber Charter School FundingPA Needs Comprehensive Cyber Charter School Funding Reform Cyber charters profit from the current funding system No limitations/restrictions on what cyber charter schools do with profits received from tuitionpayments Since cyber charter schools are operated by private for-profit management companies,taxpayers have no idea how tax dollars are being spent Current funding formula for cyber charter schools is unfair: Not based on what it costs to educate cyber charter students Creates wide discrepancies in amount of tuition paid by school districts Results in drastic overpayments to cyber charter schools Leaves district with less resources to educate the majority of its students including themost needy studentsSchool districts are providing students with cyber education programs at a fractionof the cost of cyber charter tuitionOUR MISSION: To Prepare All Students for Tomorrow’s Challenges Opportunities15
Cyber Charter School Funding - New Report Raises New Concerns 2 Commonwealth Charter Academy (CCA) Education Voters of PA -May 23, 2022 CCA News Release -February, 04, 2016 Background PMSD has 216 regular ed and 46 special ed students attending CCA CCA has the largest enrollment of PMSD students of any other cyber charter school
