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This September, almost 200,000 students in Philadelphia will return to school from summer vacation; 13,000 students won’t need to leave their homes.
Philadelphia Department of Education reports that from 2014-2022, enrollment in cyber charter schools has increased by 2000 percent (brick and mortar charter schools have only increased by sub 1 percent). Despite this growth, numerous studies have shown lackluster results and questionable uses of taxpayer funds, while some former employees alleged the problem goes even deeper.
The History
In 1974, Ray Budde, an assistant professor of education, designed a new system of education that went beyond public and private schools. Budde coined the term “Charter” to describe his new school idea that gave teachers more power in creating new curricula and expanding growth in the education field. In 1988, he published his book Education by Charter: Restructuring School Districts: Key to Long-term Continuing Improvement in American Education. Budde proposed a 10-year plan in the book to restructure the local school district to fit the educational needs of America better.
In 1991 and 1992, Minnesota’s governor and California enacted charter school legislation and opened the first charter schools. In the following years, thousands of charter schools opened as more states signed them into law. In 1997, Governor Tom Ridge signed Pennsylvania’s first charter school bill. Following suit shortly, President Clinton signed a bill encouraging states to open more charter schools.
In 2002, Pennsylvania became the first state to amend its charter laws to include cyber charter schools. Pennsylvania currently has the largest population of cyber school students, at around 61,000, which is double that of the next largest state.
How They Work
Pennsylvania charter schools are independent of the state and are privately operated by nonprofit organizations (some in other states are for-profit). The schools do not charge students tuition but do charge the school district in which they reside.
Cyber charter schools work much like traditional charter schools, except they are run virtually. Schools often give their students laptops, printers, and headsets for school work.
The Issue(s)…
When I spoke with a former IT employee at a leading Pennsylvania cyber charter school, he told me, “…even with all the problems they [public schools] have, they provide an appreciably better education quality than cyber schools.” Evidence backs this statement up. A 2019 Temple University study found that “Each additional year at a brick and mortar charter elementary school has positive effects in reading and no or positive effects in math. Conversely, each additional year spent at a cyber charter school has large negative impacts across all subject levels.”
When scrolling through many of these cyberschool websites, I noticed that they often boast about having sent students to top schools across the country. My source contended, “While I mentioned that some kids will do really well in cyber school, those kids would do really well anywhere.”
On May 16th, 2023, Education Voters of Pennsylvania released a study finding that from 2018-2022, Pennsylvania’s four largest cyber charter schools reported a 92,000 percent increase in assets. As of 2022, the four report $486 million in net assets or fund balance. The report also found that 11 Pennsylvania cyber charter schools spent $21,869,240 combined on advertising and gift cards during the 2022-2023 school year. According to the report, REACH Cyber Charter School spent 1.1 million on “Thank You Grocery” gift cards, while Agora Cyber Charter School spent $220,00 on search engine optimization. They also noticed many discrepancies on the school’s Form 990, a required document for all nonprofits.
Commonwealth Charter Academy claims that the 8 million spent on “Advertising & gift cards” was needed as “Charter schools only survive if they attract students, and advertising is one way to tell them about that option.”
The heads of these schools are also being paid more than most superintendents in the state.
*Information from 2023. The superintendent’s salary was found on OpenPAGov, and the CEO’s salary was found via filed Form 990. Central PA Digital Learning Foundation did not report their CEO’s compensation.
The average pay for a Pennsylvania superintendent is $98,709; one serving in the top 11 highest-paid districts is $279,532, but for cyber charter schools, it is $284,738. The difference between the pay is present but not substantial.
*Information from 2023. School enrollment size can be found via Niche and/or the school website.
It’s also important to look at how much each superintendent makes per student in their district. Typically, cyber charters serve much fewer students than a typical superintendent.
The Light at The End of The Tunnel
Despite the underwhelming performance of most of these charter schools, they still can be important to some students. I contacted a representative from K12, a for-profit online education company, who informed me that “There are some students that went through bullying in an in-person school, and the parents just don’t feel safe having their kids in person anymore.”
It makes sense for the state to provide other options besides standard brick-and-mortar schools, whether charter, online, religious, private, or magnet schools. However, it is equally essential that the government keep these schools in check and confirm that they provide the same or better education quality as the schools they attended.
Early this year, House Bill 2370 passed in June, reforming the most common issues with PA’s education system. The bill includes a regulation that caps the cyber charter school’s tuition at $8,000 a year, returns $530 million to taxpayers from cyber charter tuition, and provides other education benefits to Commonwealth students.