PAtownhall.com
Pennsylvania's Marketplace of Ideas
Pennsylvania's Marketplace of Ideas
PAtownhall.com
Pennsylvania's Marketplace of Ideas
Pennsylvania's Marketplace of Ideas
by News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Ken Kilpatrick (610) 547-3713 (cell)
Public school choice proponents celebrated a great victory over the Independence Day weekend as word of Pennsylvania's new budget rang across the Commonwealth. Provisions within the budget now empower charter public schools and cyber charter public schools to function more completely as the autonomous independent public schools of choice the Pennsylvania General Assembly had originally intended them to be. These critical provisions include eliminating charter school enrollment caps, restoring the opportunity for charter schools to apply for Alternative Education Grants, and the exclusion of any provision of the proposed HB 446—legislation that would have crippled the quality of education cyber charter schools could provide.
"Families with charter school students and families who have children on charter school waiting lists across the Commonwealth should be exceedingly grateful to Senate Majority Leader Domenic Pileggi (R-Delaware County) for his leadership in the removal of enrollment caps and to other lawmakers who continue to champion Pennsylvanian's right to public school choice," said Lawrence Jones, Jr., President of the Pennsylvania Coalition of Charter Schools (PCCS), an organization that provides advocacy services and support to 127 Pennsylvania charter schools. "We are pleased this budget recognizes and supports Pennsylvania families' demand for educational choice through charter public schools."
Following are key highlights within the budget that promote charter school growth:
Removal of Charter School Enrollment Caps
More than 20,000 students across Pennsylvania remain on charter school waiting lists. The new budget bans capping enrollment of traditional charter schools and cyber charter schools, opening the door to these students to enjoy school choice, as well as forging the opportunity for establishing new charter schools.
Restoration of Alternative Education Grants
At the beginning of the 2007-2008 school year, the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) notified charter schools that provide alternative educational services for disruptive students that funding for the current year would be drastically reduced and all future funding would be eliminated. The Department of Education's decision to cut funding came after programs for the 2007-2008 school year began, forcing charter school administrators to scramble in efforts to keep alternative education programs in place. The new budget reverses PDE's denial, now allowing eligible charter schools to apply for grants from a funding pool available to all public schools that meet the necessary criteria.
"Alternative Education Grants are crucial to providing the education and counseling services Pennsylvania's at-risk students need and deserve," said PCCS Vice President and Keystone Education Charter School (Greenville) CEO Mike Gentile. "We are grateful to the leadership of Senator Pileggi, Senator Bob Robbins (R-50), and Representative Michele Brooks (R-17) and others for working hard toward the restoration of these grants."
Defeat of HB 446
After two years and five legislative hearings, proposed legislation that would have significantly reduced cyber charter school funding and crippled the quality of education those schools provide has been defeated. No aspect of HB 446 was included in annual changes to the School Code revision that reflect the new Pennsylvania Budget, ensuring funding that will support the fair and equitable education Pennsylvania's cyber charter school students are morally and legally entitled. Furthermore, the budget contained no additional legislation and policies designed to reduce charter school independence and parental choice
About the Pennsylvania Coalition of Charter Schools (PCCS)
More than 64,000 students are enrolled in Pennsylvania's 126 charter schools throughout the commonwealth. These schools include a host of distinctive missions: early childhood enrichment, specific academic disciplines, high achievement, core knowledge, technology, project based learning, special needs education, gifted education, community service and more. For more information, visit www.pachartercoaltion.com or call 484-356-0191.
