Cyber schools established outside of brick and mortar establishments have seen growth in recent years, prompting the efforts put forth by Spring-Ford Area School District, Phoenixville Area School District, Boyertown Area School District and Pottstown School District.

In his presentation on Boyertown’s cyber school initiative, Superintendent Dion Betts outlined two motivations for the program: to recoup some of the money lost when students go to other programs outside the district and to provide a better cyber program than what the current cyber school programs provide.

For the rest of the article, go to School districts think outside the classroom to compete with charters

Saucon is one of a number of Lehigh Valley schools trying to stem the flow of money out of the district to charter schools and to entice students back with the promise of a district diploma.

Superintendent Sandra Fellin is proposing a multifaceted program that in addition to creating a cyber high school would allow students to make up credits for courses they’ve failed, attend summer school online and bring in new electives.

Fellin presented her plan to the school board Tuesday after months of research and it was well received.

For the rest of the article, go to Saucon Valley School District exploring online classes

The Associated Press reports that more than 200,000 kindergarten to 12th grade students are enrolled in full-time “virtual charter schools” in at least 40 states. That number soars to two million schoolchildren nationwide when one takes into account students who are enrolled in at least one course.

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Many families chose the East End neighborhood because all three schools, East End, Meadville Area Middle School and Meadville Area Senior High School, are within walking distance, Maple Street resident Patience Laub observed.

“What’s to keep me from moving to Vernon Township now?,” Chestnut Street resident Marty Decker wanted to know. “How many East End families will move to cyber or private schools?”

“I wanted my kids to be in a small community school,” Julie Panchura agreed. “If East End closes, we’ll entertain the thought of moving or going to cyber school.”

“If property values decrease, will our property taxes decrease, too?” Jill Tucker wanted to know. “Has the school board considered the long-term effects on the community of closing East End?”

“I don’t want it to go,” East End first-grader Holden Brown said.

“If East End closes, we will refuse to stay,” his mother, Leslie, agreed, noting that the family is already investigating options such as Saegertown or Neason Hill if the closure takes place.

“Property values will plummet. Children will go to cyber schools,” said East End resident Jenny Basco. “It sounds like the decision has been made,” she continued. “Our little sweethearts who have grown up together will be going to some inner-city school where they don’t know anyone. More than $7 million was spent to renovate our school — we have the best school.”

For the rest of the article, go to Most speakers fighting for East End have ties to school

More options
Diane Szadar, Director of Educational Technology, explained that VLIC offers greater academic options to a student, at a lower cost to the School District.

The students and their families remain a part of the Wallenpaupack Area School District and can participate in co-curricular activities. They still receive a Wallenpaupack diploma and keep local school counseling support. Although VLINC instruction is still provided by teachers online through the educational vendors under contract, Wallenpaupack teachers remain available to students to assist them.

For the rest of the article, go to District counters cyber school trend

In Idaho, Alan Dunn, superintendent of the Sugar-Salem School District, says that he may cut entire departments and outsource their courses to online providers. “It’s not ideal,” he says. “But Idaho is in a budget crisis, and this is a creative solution.”

Other states see potential savings as well. In Georgia, state and local taxpayers spend $7,650 a year to educate the average student in a traditional public school. They spend nearly 60% less—$3,200 a year—to educate a student in the statewide online Georgia Cyber Academy, saving state and local tax dollars. Florida saves $1,500 a year on every student enrolled online full time.

For individual school districts, though, competition from online schools can cause financial strain. The tiny Spring Cove School District in rural Pennsylvania lost 43 of its 1,850 students this year to online charter schools. By law, the district must send those students’ share of local and state tax dollars—in this case $340,000—to the cyberschool. Superintendent Rodney Green, already struggling to balance the budget, cut nine teaching jobs, eliminated middle-school Spanish and French and canceled the high-school musical, “Aida.”

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Spagel describes himself as an “outsider,” with no vested interest in helping a relative land a job in the Erie School District. On the contrary, he has watched the Erie School Board make “poor decisions in its hiring practices,” and opposes nepotism. Such past hiring practices should be tougher in the school district’s current financial condition, which resulted in cuts of close to 200 teaching positions this year. “They’ve cut almost as much as they can,” he says.

He supports a “proper evaluation system” for school employees and wants to improve cyber school options. As the owner of Stanganelli’s Italian Foods, he checks periodically to see “who has the best price on cheese,” and says the Erie School Board must periodically review its vendor contracts.

For the rest of the article, go to Times-News endorses Thomas Spagel for Erie School Board

A little-known local cyber school presented information Friday at Logan Valley Mall to visitors at the Mirror Moms Expo, sponsored by the Altoona Mirror, an event designed to introduce parents to intriguing or helpful community services and opportunities.

Central Pennsylvania Digital Learning Foundation, with offices in the Greater Altoona Career & Technology Center, has averaged 100 to 150 students since a consortium of local school districts created it as a charter school in 2002, Technology Coordinator Scott Gallagher said.

For the rest of the article, go to Cyber schools an option for parents

Working in conjunction with the Brandywine Virtual Academy, district officials have developed their own cyber curriculum in time for the 2011-12 school year — a program that allows sixth- through 12th-grade students to obtain a Phoenixville education online, participate in extra-curricular activities and receive individualized instruction.

For the rest of the article, go to Phoenixville unveils its own cyber school

At about $8,000 per year per student, the costs add up — a minimum of $1.9 million per year. That fee is paid by the student’s home school district.

Chambersburg has seen students’ participation in cyber schools raise exponentially over the last decade. Greencastle-Antrim School District had seen a similar pattern and started a cyber school eight years ago. That academy helped stem the tide of students riding the wave into for-profit charter schools.

For the rest of the article, go to Franklin County virtual academy created