Superintendents at 15 Beaver County school districts authorized a position paper urging Pennsylvania legislators to create charter school, cyber charter school and school voucher policies that better address challenges faced by public schools.

The letter, authorized by superintendents of every county district but Midland, was sent to county legislators and other state representatives earlier this week, according to Freedom Area Superintendent Ronald Sofo.

“We have to develop a system that’s right for everybody,” Sofo said.

For the rest of the article, go to County superintendents hope collective voice creates change

Hard to believe that August is here and that means getting set for back to school.

There have long been kids that have been home schooled, but since 2003 there have been CYBER charter schools in Pennsylvania and there is a big difference.

Could a Cyber School be the right educational choice for your child? It certainly presents interesting educational possibilities, but it also creates some degree of confusion as to just what these schools offer.

For the rest of the article, go to Could a Cyber School be the right educational choice for your child?

The proposed commission on charter schools would be headed by three members selected by the governor and four others appointed by the General Assembly. Under the legislation, the list of appointees must include a school district administrator, a school board member, a certified teacher and the parent of a child enrolled in a charter.

Both bills include a provision that the “enrollment of students in a charter school or cyber charter school shall not be subject to a cap or otherwise limited by any past or future action of a local board of school directors.”

No such enrollment cap exists for School Lane Charter School, which will soon expand operations with new classes in both the Bensalem and Neshaminy school districts.

School Lane opened in 1998 on Route 13 in Bensalem as a K-8 school.

For the rest of the article, go to Changes sought in charter school approval process

In an effort to reel in the costs of Hatboro and Horsham students attending cyber charter schools, the district has struck a deal of sorts with an online learning center.

Instead of paying just over $460,000 a year to educate roughly 50 students who attend cyber charter schools, the district could potentially spend one-third less, according to Assistant Superintendent John Nodecker.

For the rest of the article, go to H-H Looks to Cut Cyber Charter School Costs

This year, Piraino said, the district in paying cyber charter school tuition for 104 students, at about $7,200 for each regular education student and about $15,000 for each of the eight students in special education. While school districts are reimbursed for a percentage of their cyber school tuition, Gov. Tom Corbett’s proposed budget would eliminate those payments.

Piraino said that Greater Latrobe’s cyber academy would provide a higher quality education than cyber charters at a lower cost to the district– no more than $3,300 per student.

Greater Latrobe is not alone in seeking savings by creating its own cyber academy. Districts such as Deer Lakes and Gateway, in Allegheny County, have set up full-fledged cyber schools in recent years. Ligonier piloted one this year, and several other districts, including Burrell and Franklin Regional, offer online classes through the Westmoreland Intermediate Unit’s eAcademy.

For the rest of the article, go to Greater Latrobe to open eCat Online Academy this fall