HARRISBURG – The PA House of Representatives recently passed state Rep. Joe Ciresi’s legislation that would modernize Pennsylvania’s charter school law.
The bill, which was approved on a 122-81 bipartisan vote, seeks to make changes to Pennsylvania’s charter school law specifically aimed at the cyber version of these independently operated public schools.
According to Ciresi’s website, the Ciresi legislation would set a single statewide tuition rate for non-special education students at cyber schools that is better aligned to the actual cost of cyber education and applies the existing three-tier special education funding formula currently used for school districts, which sets funding based on the student’s special education needs, to cyber charter schools.
“My goal with this bill was to preserve school choice, but while ensuring cyber charter schools are held to the same rules and regulations as traditional public schools,” Ciresi said.
In total, the proposal estimates that school districts would have to pay cyber charters about $456 million less. It now goes to the Senate for consideration.
