Their view: Fixing America is daunting, but doable

web1_TTL021319Shots2.jpg

Victims of Wilkes-Barre shooting remain hospitalized

<p>Luzerne County&#8217;s 11 school districts would collectively save nearly $5.9 million if the state changed the amounts cyber-charter schools are paid to more accurately reflect their costs, an advocacy group contends.</p><p>Education Voters of PA &#8212; which bills itself as a non-partisan, nonprofit public advocacy organization &#8212; takes an argument almost as old as the state&#8217;s cyber-charter law and puts dollar figures to the notion: Cyber-charters, which are public schools, regularly get more money per-pupil in tax dollars than it costs to educate them.</p><p>Cyber-charter schools are authorized through the state, but funded through payments made by the school district in which each student lives. District officials frequently complain the amount of money paid per student is not justified, and they do not save an equal amount of money if a student leaves the district to attend a cyber-charter. They also must make the payment for students who were attending private schools but switch to cyber-charters.</p><p>Cyber-charter proponents have long countered that they provide an important choice for students unhappy or uncomfortable at traditional schools, and note that much of the money districts pay to cyber-charters comes from state education subsidies, which means the money is simply following the student.</p><p>Critics also point to poor academic outcomes for cyber-charters, citing state measurements, an argument Education Voters of PA makes in a recent report and accompanying media release:</p><p>State &#8220;cyber-charter schools are among the lowest performing schools in the state. Not one of Pennsylvania&#8217;s cyber-charters achieved a passing SPP (School Performance Profile) score of 70 in any of the five years that the SPP was in effect. For the 2017-2018 school year, nearly every cyber-charter school was identified by the Pennsylvania Department of Education as among the lowest performing schools in the state &#8230; . In addition, cyber-charter school graduation rates are consistently and substantially below state averages.&#8221;</p><p>Contending per-pupil payments to cyber-charter schools range from $7,300 to more than $40,000, the organization proposes the amount per pupil be reduced substantially.</p><p>Under the proposal, per-pupil payments for regular education would be set at $5,000, a figure derived from a 2018 survey by the Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators that found 93 percent of districts offering &#8220;full-functioning cyber school options&#8221; at the local level did so for $5,000 or less. Most local districts offer at least some online courses to both compete with cyber-charters and to give students more choices when they are unable to get to school.</p><p>Education Voters also proposes per-pupil payments to cyber-charter schools be calculated through a relatively new special education formula adopted by the state that is designed to take into account the level of support students need, with more money for more complex cases. The organization calculates this would mean $8,865 average per special education student in cyber-charters.</p><p>The organization used reported cyber-charter spending in 2016-17 by each district and estimated how much less would be spent if the proposals were adopted. Statewide, it projected savings to districts of more than $250 million annually.</p><p>In Luzerne County, the projected savings ran from $149,234 at Greater Nanticoke Area to $1.6 million at Wilkes-Barre Area.</p><style>
.neFileBlock {
	margin-bottom: 20px;
}
.neFileBlock p {
	margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
}
.neFileBlock .neFile {
	border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa;
	padding-bottom: 5px;
	padding-top: 10px;
}
.neFileBlock .neCaption {
	font-size: 85%;
}
</style>
<div class='neFileBlock'>
<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/web1_New-Ed-Voters-Logo-copy-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption"></div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/web1_New-Ed-Voters-Logo-copy-1.jpg</photo0><caption0></caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Mark Guydish</p><p>mguydish@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Mark Guydish at 570-991-6112 or on Twitter @TLMarkGuydish</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Cyber-charter reform group: Luzerne County districts would save $5.9M under plan