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In the News: The Cyber Charter Juggernaut
A pair of recent news stories on the rise of cyber charters nationally and in Pennsylvania highlight serious questions about their efficacy and the political aims behind their expansion.
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Anyone have any experiences -- good or bad -- with a cyber charter here in PA?
Tags: K-12, Pennsylvania, charters, cyber, vouchers
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Susan DeJarnatt on -
I've just started to look at the financial status of the Pennsylvania cyber charters and the information available from their 1099 tax forms on Guidestar raises some disturbing questions. The five largest cyber charters together received over $228 million in funding from local school districts in 2009. Three of them reported substantial surpluses: Agora Cyber Charter reported a surplus of $2,792,698; Commonwealth Connections Academy Charter reported a surplus of $4,342,327; and PA Virtual Charter reported a surplus of $2,902,164. The largest of all, Pa. Cyber Charter School, does not appear to have submitted a 1099 to Guidestar though I estimate it received over $68 million based on its enrollment figures and the per pupil average reported by Agora. What are these schools doing with the surpluses? How are they spending the millions that they receive?
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Permalink Reply by Lawrence A. Feinberg on -
Hi Susan -
This is very interesting. Please keep us posted as you get more info. I'd like to be able to send a list of cyber charter fund balances as a percent of budget to our legislators.
Susan DeJarnatt said:I've just started to look at the financial status of the Pennsylvania cyber charters and the information available from their 1099 tax forms on Guidestar raises some disturbing questions. The five largest cyber charters together received over $228 million in funding from local school districts in 2009. Three of them reported substantial surpluses: Agora Cyber Charter reported a surplus of $2,792,698; Commonwealth Connections Academy Charter reported a surplus of $4,342,327; and PA Virtual Charter reported a surplus of $2,902,164. The largest of all, Pa. Cyber Charter School, does not appear to have submitted a 1099 to Guidestar though I estimate it received over $68 million based on its enrollment figures and the per pupil average reported by Agora. What are these schools doing with the surpluses? How are they spending the millions that they receive?
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