Allentown Morning Call 12-09-07

House Bill Would Set High Standards for Cyber Charter School Accountability

December 9, 2007

State Act 88 of 2002 established cyber charter schools, which provide students with computers, an Internet connection, on-line curriculum and teachers. But many questions have since surfaced, prompting state legislators to seek more oversight and put them on a level playing field with the traditional ''bricks and mortar'' public schools. It's all about accountability.

On Wednesday, the House Education Committee voted to send House Bill 446, proposed by Rep. Karen Beyer, R-Lehigh and Northampton, to the full House for debate. The proposed law would give the state Department of Education more control over 11 cyber charter schools, even though their funding would still come from the local school districts whose students use them.

A number of good aspects of House Bill 446 resulted from negotiations among Rep. Beyer and the Department of Education, the governor's office and the auditor general. For example, all cyber charter school employees who have Internet contact with students would be required to undergo background checks.

Tuition rates have varied between the cyber schools, so the bill would establish a single statewide rate. State education officials would use a formula that takes into account the average tuition rates of successful cyber schools -- those achieved adequate yearly progress on the state's standardized test in the 2006-07 school year.

The minimum hours that the state's 17,000 cyber students would be on-line must meet state compulsory attendance requirements, that is, 180 days per school year. Each cyber school would have to submit reports to state education officials to verify that this goal is being attained.

Though there would be no enrollment cap for cyber schools, they would have to request approval from state education officials before increasing enrollments. In addition, cyber schools in Pennsylvania would be prohibited from using state or school district funds for non-residents of the state. There also is a provision to prevent conflicts of interest within the schools' structure. Board members of a cyber school would be prohibited from doing business with the school or management of the school. Also, any person affiliated with the management of the school would be prohibited from sitting on the board of trustees.

Cyber charter school people have complained that they are being reined in too tightly. Some have gone so far as saying the bill's intent is to destroy the cyber schools or even that this would be a first step toward ''going after'' all charter schools. We don't buy that.

Cyber charter schools fall under the same education umbrella as the other public schools in this state. It is only reasonable that they must live up to the same standards as public schools, whose funding, after all, makes their existence possible. The House should pass this bill.