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"This is taxpayer dollars." Cyber charter reform bill looks to save millionsEducation funding is a hot topic in Harrisburg right now, from the amount the state spends on schools to the way the dollars are allocated.
Now, a push is on to change the funding formula for cyber charter schools to save taxpayers cash. “We just continue to see those rates escalate year over year,” said Dr. Todd Stoltz, West Shore School District Superintendent. In a district of over 7,500 kids, the West Shore School District spends $8.5 million a year on cyber charter schools. That number represents a 200 percent increase in the past decade. A new bill, HB1422, looks to make changes.As author of the cyber charter school reform bill, Representative Ciresi convinced the House that change was necessary. The bill sets a statewide uniform tuition cap while placing accountability measures in place for cyber charters to meet.“Millions of taxpayer dollars will stay in the local schools without the state having to contribute another dollar to education,” said Nathan Mains with the Pennsylvania School Boards Association. In fact, half of a billion dollars statewide could possibly be heading back to local districts and taxpayers with the passage of this bill. Estimated savings in the West Shore School District alone would push $2 million a year with the rework of the current formula. “There are costs that a traditional public school has that I don't believe are experienced the same way, that are not accounted for in that formula,” said Dr. Stoltz. “We owe it to our children and the taxpayers to make sure that we are doing everything possible so that students are getting the best education and we are being good stewards of the taxpayer dollars,” said Rob Gleason, President of the Board of Directors for the Westmont Hilltop SD. Already, this bill has passed the House in a bipartisan measure 122 to 81. It now resides in the Senate where a lot of uncertainty lives. Advocates hope it doesn’t just languish in the Senate and never get a look. Right now, no votes on the measure are scheduled.
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