Cyber Charter Schools Under Attack
By JIM HANAK
Guest Columnist
How would you feel if the PA House Education Committee secretly passed a bill that placed the following limitations on your local school? 1. Your school could not spend any more than the budget of the poorest school in the state. 2. A political appointee in Harrisburg would be in charge of determining what the budget of your school would be. 3. If, indeed, at the end of the year, you had money left over, you could not save it for the next year. Your school would have to return it to the state. 4. Your teachers would not automatically get credit for the time they spent teaching each year. A newly appointed Harrisburg bureaucrat would decide whether the teacher gets credit for his or her work.
Such an action would cause a political uprising of Armageddon proportions and assuredly create an instant teacher’s strike.
Yet, this is exactly what the House Education Committee did for 20,000 students who currently attend one of the 10 Public Cyber Charter Schools throughout the state. Two of those schools host their headquarters in Chester County and serve 2,500 students.
This effort was spearheaded by Governor Rendell in re-payment for the $500,000 that the teacher’s union gave him for his last campaign. For over a year, through 5 lengthy public hearings, the governor has been browbeating his fellow Democrats to cut the funding for these unique public schools - despite the fact that cyber schools save local taxpayers approximately 50% because of rebates from the state. In the light of media scrutiny, though, he could not get the votes because legislators know that those who get hurt the most are big city Democrats who have no other public school choice.
So, when he could not implement his “pay to play” philosophy to get his way legitimately, the governor pulled out the railroad strategy that worked so well for him in Philadelphia. On December 5, the Education Committee met to consider a nine page bill that had never been introduced to the media. The Committee, knowing that the press would be there, hosted the meeting in a room that would hold only fifty people. Without telling the media, the committee changed the time of the meeting from 9:30 to 9:00 AM. By the time the meeting started, it was already filled with angry parents. Reporters became annoyed as they were forced to stand in the hall with the overflow crowd.
Of course, no one was able to speak from the public - oh, except a representative of the Governor’s political appointee - the same appointee that would, under this new bill, determine the budgets of cyber charter schools! Republican legislators realized quickly that they were outmaneuvered because the backroom horse-trading had already taken place.
State legislator’s comments were incredulous.
Representative Kathy Rapp (R) stated: “I believe this is unconstitutional as it denies equal opportunity to parents!”
Representative John Pallone (D): “I do not like the way cyber schools are funded but the formula you are suggesting just encourages inequity. The poorer districts will be forced to drive their tuition rates up. I don’t think we should ‘railroad’ this through. We shouldn’t decide on a nine page amendment in one hour.”
Representative Daryl Metcalfe (R): “I am concerned that you are not fairly representing both sides in your bill. This is a stealth torpedo against non-union teachers. No wonder the PSEA (teacher’s union) is supportive. This should be tabled.”
Rep. Sam Rohrer (R): “From the hearings we have learned that cyber schools are doing extremely well with lower tuition rates. Why are we working so hard to place greater limitations on cyber schools?”
Representative Barbara McIlvaine Smith (D): “I couldn’t agree more with Representative Rohrer. I am not comfortable with the tuition rate and how you reached it.”
Perhaps most startling is that, in Chester County, while defying their party, Democrat State Representative Barbara McIlvaine Smith voted in favor of protecting public school choice while Republican State Representative Duane Milne voted to destroy two of the most effective and creative PA Cyber Charter Schools - both headquartered in Chester County.
Both legislators have visited our school (PA Leadership Charter School). Both seemed impressed with what we are doing. McIlvaine Smith supported public cyber schooling with her vote. Milne voted to release the “stealth torpedo” against non-union teachers, concerned parents and taxpayers that could ultimately destroy public school choice for 20,000 students across the state.
(Jim Hanak is chief executive officer for Pennsylvania Leadership Charter School, a West Chester-based cyber school.)
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