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Forbes
a day ago
- Business
- Forbes
Will Pennsylvania Finally Reform Its Cyber Charter School System?
Close-up view of a man threading a needle. Man using both hands to put a purple thread into the hole ... More of a sewing needle. Pennsylvania is a national leader in cyber charter schools, both in the number of students enrolled and the number of taxpayer dollars spent. But the laws governing cyber charters have not been significantly updated in over two decades. A report released in January of 2022 by Children First found that of the 27 states with cyber charters, Pennsylvania spends the most but has the 'weakest systems to ensure students and taxpayers are getting their money's worth.' And taxpayers are not; reports repeatedly find that the cyber charters are underperforming. Even the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools has called for cyber charter reform. Nationally, cyber charters have a low graduation rate; one report found that 73% of cyber charters have a graduation rate below 50%. Another reports that students stay in cyber-charters for an average of only two years. But cyber charters in Pennsylvania grab a ton of money for their owners, and though the previous governor pushed hard for some simple reforms, Tom Wolf left office with those reforms still unrealized. Earlier this year, the Pennsylvania Department of the Auditor General under Republican Auditor General Timothy DeFoor released an audit of five of Pennsylvania's cyber charter schools that was highly critical of the system, and now a bill has passed the state House that would address issues raised by that report. House Bill 1500 proposes several changes that would control costs and bring cyber charter operation more in line with public schools in the state. Flat rate tuition for regular students. Currently, the tuition rates for students are based on what the sending district spends. This means that there are 500 different tuition rates for exactly the same service. HB 1500 proposes a flat rate of $8,000 per student. Reporting requirements. Public schools are required to notify families when they are labeled a low-achieving school district. Under the bill, cyber charters would also have to report that information. The bill would also require cyber charters to report expenditures for media and sponsorships; the AG report found information about taxpayer money spent on marketing and sponsorships was not readily available. Residency. The school district in which the student resides pays the tuition for that student. The AG found that many districts had a concern around students who moved out of the district without informing the district, leaving those taxpayers responsible for the tuition of non-resident students. The bill attempts to ameliorate that problem. Banked funding. Currently public schools can bank up to 12% of their annual operating budget in unassigned fund balances, while cyber charters have no such limits on how much taxpayer funding they can park in bank account. The bill would require charters to follow the same rules. Special education funding. There are 500 more different rates for students with special needs. Pennsylvania public schools classify these students according to severity of need and classify funding accordingly. Charter schools currently fund a student who needs one weekly hour of speech therapy at the same level as a student who requires a full time aid and major supports. This quirk in the funding system creates a perverse incentive for charters to enroll students with low-cost special needs because they bring in a high level of tuition. The bill would adjust fuinding levels using the same tiers as public schools. Real estate. The auditor general's report found at least one cyber charter with extensive real estate holdings across the state, and questioned whether that matched the charter law's intent. Several parts of HB 1500 appear aimed at that issue, including a requirement that a cyber charter have only one main office, and that all money the charter collects by renting, leasing, or selling its real estate holdings be paid back to the public school districts whose taxpayers footed the bill for the real estate acquisition. Wellness check. Cyber charters would be required to check with students both for attendance and student well-being. The bill also establishes the Cyber Charter School Funding and Policy Council whose job would be to hold hearings and develop policy and funding recommendations for the legislature to enact. It would also put a moratorium on new cyber charters through the 2029-30 school year. The bill passed the Democrat-controlled House 104-98 with two Republican representatives voting for the bill. According to the House fiscal note, the bill would save school districts a collective $616 million. Pennsylvania is also dealing with a court ruling that its school funding system is unconstitutional and requires a multi-billion dollar fix. At the same time, Senate Republicans have not given up hopes for taxpayer-funded school vouchers. HB 1500 enters an already-crowded conversation about education in Pennsylvania. While the idea of over a thousand different tuition rates for the same schools does not appear to have many defenders, cyber charter supporters are telling legislators that an $8,000 flat rate would destroy them, despite the large amount of money that many have on hand. However, 472 of the state's 500 school districts, covering the full political range, have passed resolutions calling for 'meaningful cyber charter reform.' Previous attempts have failed to thread the needle of cyber charter reform; the Senate will now decide if this attempt can succeed.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
State Supreme Court will hear arguments over Pa.'s membership in Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative
(Getty Images) Pennsylvania's long-delayed membership in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative that would require fossil fuel burning power plants to pay for carbon dioxide emissions will be the subject of arguments Tuesday before the state Supreme Court. The program, known as RGGI, established a carbon credit auction for electricity producers in 11 northeast states to pay for the right to emit carbon dioxide. The money received would go to each state for uses, ranging from utility assistance and energy efficiency projects to subsidies for alternative energy. Gov. Tom Wolf entered the compact in 2022 over the objections of Republican state lawmakers. They raised concerns it would increase electricity prices, hasten the closing of the commonwealth's remaining coal power plants, and not reduce carbon emissions overall, but simply force them into other states. In a legal challenge to the program's constitutionality, GOP leaders in the House and Senate contended the requirement to buy carbon credits was an impermissible tax. A Commonwealth Court panel of five judges agreed. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE In its decision, the appellate court said that Pennsylvania's participation in RGGI must be approved through the General Assembly and that the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) does not have the authority to impose a tax. Gov. Josh Shapiro's administration appealed, with the DEP, arguing that the commonwealth's membership in RGGI is authorized by the state's Air Pollution Control Act (APCA). The law empowers the state to enact rules and regulations to reduce pollution, including establishing fees used to eliminate air emissions. Several nonprofit citizens rights and environmental groups including Penn Future, the Sierra Club, the Clean Air Council and the Environmental Defense Fund moved to intervene in the appeal. They argue the Commonwealth Court wrongly decided the case because it failed to consider the DEP and Environmental Quality Board's obligations under the Environmental Rights Amendment (ERA) to the state constitution. The groups also back the DEP's argument that the agency is empowered to establish fees to enforce the APCA. Adopted in 1971, the ERA requires the commonwealth to preserve public natural resources for the benefit of all people. It's considered one of the strongest such constitutional protections in the nation, according to PennFuture. Since the Commonwealth Court's decision in 2023, Shapiro has introduced a Pennsylvania-focused alternative to RGGI called the Pennsylvania Climate Emissions Reduction Act (PACER) that he said would leverage the commonwealth's status as an energy exporter to fund carbon-neutral energy development. Sen. Carolyn Comitta (D-Chester) who plans to introduce legislation to establish PACER, said Shapiro's alternative was developed in collaboration with Republican lawmakers and energy companies. Comitta said the Supreme Court case and RGGI would make the Supreme Court case moot, but GOP lawmakers have said the plan falls short of their goals to reduce energy costs and ensure reliable electricity supplies. The Supreme Court will hear arguments in the case at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday in Harrisburg. An audio stream of the proceedings is available on YouTube. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
San Francisco Chronicle
08-05-2025
- Politics
- San Francisco Chronicle
Pennsylvania Senate votes to ban transgender athletes in girls' sports, but bill faces uphill battle
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania's state Senate on Tuesday approved a bill to ban transgender athletes from competing in women's and girls' sports at the collegiate and K-12 levels, although the Republican-penned bill is unlikely to get a vote in the state's Democratic-controlled House of Representatives. The bill passed, 32-18, with five Democrats crossing party lines to join with all 27 Republicans in voting 'yes.' The vote marked the second time the GOP-controlled Senate has passed it. An earlier attempt, in concert with a Republican-controlled House, met then-Gov. Tom Wolf's veto pen in 2022. This time, Senate Republicans are advancing the effort after President Donald Trump declared his intent to 'keep men out of women's sports.' and made it a major campaign issue in last year's election, dividing Democrats on how to respond. The bill applies to participation in girls' and women's sports that are sponsored by public schools, public universities and publicly chartered community colleges. It also prohibits any sort of government agency or athletic association from investigating or punishing a school or higher education institution for maintaining separate sports teams for girls or women. For well over an hour, Republicans and Democrats debated the bill, at times hotly. The sponsor, Sen. Judy Ward, a Republican from Blair County, said the bill would 'ensure all young women have a fair chance to compete in the sports they love.' Ward said that since 2020 in Pennsylvania, 37 female athletes have lost first place and another 13 lost second or third place, although she didn't say from where she drew the statistics. Pennsylvania's governing body for high school sports, the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association, said it was aware of just one transgender student currently participating in sports. Senate Minority Leader Jay Costa, a Democrat from Allegheny County, called the bill discriminatory against transgender people, as well as 'unnecessary, unwarranted and unconstitutional in my mind." Democrats warned that the bill will go nowhere in the House, and a spokesperson for House Democratic leaders accused Senate Republicans of being 'more focused on divisive political theater and bullying kids for political points.' Gov. Josh Shapiro 's office declined to comment Tuesday about the bill, although the Democrat has in the past expressed opposition to such bans, calling 2022's bill 'nothing more than cruel, designed to discriminate against transgender youth who just want to play sports like their peers.' Trump, as president, signed an executive order intended to ban transgender athletes from participating in girls' and women's sports. In February, the PIAA changed its policy in a move that some officials said was designed to follow Trump's order, except that lawyers on both sides of the issue say the change in policy wording does nothing of the sort. Previously, the PIAA's policy had deferred to school principals to determine an athlete's 'gender' when 'questioned or uncertain.' It changed the policy to defer to principals to determine a student's "sex' when 'questioned or uncertain,' and added a line that says that, in accordance with Trump's executive order, 'schools are required to consult with their school solicitors relative to compliance with the order.' In response to Trump's order, the NCAA revised its transgender participation policy to limit women's college sports to athletes assigned as female at birth. The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, a governing body for smaller schools, effectively banned transgender athletes in 2023 from women's sports. __
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Pennsylvania Senate votes to ban transgender athletes in girls' sports
The Brief Pennsylvania's state Senate is backing a bill to ban transgender athletes from competing in women's and girls' sports at the collegiate and K-12 levels. The Republican-penned bill that passed Tuesday is unlikely to get a vote in the state's Democratic-controlled House of Representatives The bill passed, 32-18, marking the second time the GOP-controlled Senate has passed it. HARRISBURG, Pa. - Pennsylvania's state Senate on Tuesday approved a bill to ban transgender athletes from competing in women's and girls' sports at the collegiate and K-12 levels, although the Republican-penned bill is unlikely to get a vote in the state's Democratic-controlled House of Representatives. What we know The bill passed, 32-18, with five Democrats crossing party lines to join with all 27 Republicans in voting "yes." The vote marked the second time the GOP-controlled Senate has passed it. An earlier attempt, in concert with a Republican-controlled House, met then-Gov. Tom Wolf's veto pen in 2022. This time, Senate Republicans are advancing the effort after President Donald Trump declared his intent to "keep men out of women's sports." and made it a major campaign issue in last year's election, dividing Democrats on how to respond. The bill applies to participation in girls' and women's sports that are sponsored by public schools, public universities and publicly chartered community colleges. It also prohibits any sort of government agency or athletic association from investigating or punishing a school or higher education institution for maintaining separate sports teams for girls or women. For well over an hour, Republicans and Democrats debated the bill, at times hotly. The sponsor, Sen. Judy Ward, a Republican from Blair County, said the bill would "ensure all young women have a fair chance to compete in the sports they love." Ward said that since 2020 in Pennsylvania, 37 female athletes have lost first place and another 13 lost second or third place, although she didn't say from where she drew the statistics. Pennsylvania's governing body for high school sports, the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association, said it was aware of just one transgender student currently participating in sports. What they're saying Senate Minority Leader Jay Costa, a Democrat from Allegheny County, called the bill discriminatory against transgender people, as well as "unnecessary, unwarranted and unconstitutional in my mind." Democrats warned that the bill will go nowhere in the House, and a spokesperson for House Democratic leaders accused Senate Republicans of being "more focused on divisive political theater and bullying kids for political points." Gov. Josh Shapiro 's office declined to comment Tuesday about the bill, although the Democrat has in the past expressed opposition to such bans, calling 2022's bill "nothing more than cruel, designed to discriminate against transgender youth who just want to play sports like their peers." The backstory Trump, as president, signed an executive order intended to ban transgender athletes from participating in girls' and women's sports. In February, the PIAA changed its policy in a move that some officials said was designed to follow Trump's order, except that lawyers on both sides of the issue say the change in policy wording does nothing of the sort. Previously, the PIAA's policy had deferred to school principals to determine an athlete's "gender" when "questioned or uncertain." It changed the policy to defer to principals to determine a student's "sex" when "questioned or uncertain," and added a line that says that, in accordance with Trump's executive order, "schools are required to consult with their school solicitors relative to compliance with the order." In response to Trump's order, the NCAA revised its transgender participation policy to limit women's college sports to athletes assigned as female at birth. The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, a governing body for smaller schools, effectively banned transgender athletes in 2023 from women's sports. The Source Information from this article was provided by the Associated Press.
07-05-2025
- Politics
Pennsylvania Senate votes to ban transgender athletes in girls' sports, but bill faces uphill battle
HARRISBURG, Pa. -- Pennsylvania's state Senate on Tuesday approved a bill to ban transgender athletes from competing in women's and girls' sports at the collegiate and K-12 levels, although the Republican-penned bill is unlikely to get a vote in the state's Democratic-controlled House of Representatives. The bill passed, 32-18, with five Democrats crossing party lines to join with all 27 Republicans in voting 'yes.' The vote marked the second time the GOP-controlled Senate has passed it. An earlier attempt, in concert with a Republican-controlled House, met then-Gov. Tom Wolf's veto pen in 2022. This time, Senate Republicans are advancing the effort after President Donald Trump declared his intent to 'keep men out of women's sports.' and made it a major campaign issue in last year's election, dividing Democrats on how to respond. The bill applies to participation in girls' and women's sports that are sponsored by public schools, public universities and publicly chartered community colleges. It also prohibits any sort of government agency or athletic association from investigating or punishing a school or higher education institution for maintaining separate sports teams for girls or women. For well over an hour, Republicans and Democrats debated the bill, at times hotly. The sponsor, Sen. Judy Ward, a Republican from Blair County, said the bill would 'ensure all young women have a fair chance to compete in the sports they love.' Ward said that since 2020 in Pennsylvania, 37 female athletes have lost first place and another 13 lost second or third place, although she didn't say from where she drew the statistics. Pennsylvania's governing body for high school sports, the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association, said it was aware of just one transgender student currently participating in sports. Senate Minority Leader Jay Costa, a Democrat from Allegheny County, called the bill discriminatory against transgender people, as well as 'unnecessary, unwarranted and unconstitutional in my mind." Democrats warned that the bill will go nowhere in the House, and a spokesperson for House Democratic leaders accused Senate Republicans of being 'more focused on divisive political theater and bullying kids for political points.' Gov. Josh Shapiro 's office declined to comment Tuesday about the bill, although the Democrat has in the past expressed opposition to such bans, calling 2022's bill 'nothing more than cruel, designed to discriminate against transgender youth who just want to play sports like their peers.' Trump, as president, signed an executive order intended to ban transgender athletes from participating in girls' and women's sports. In February, the PIAA changed its policy in a move that some officials said was designed to follow Trump's order, except that lawyers on both sides of the issue say the change in policy wording does nothing of the sort. Previously, the PIAA's policy had deferred to school principals to determine an athlete's 'gender' when 'questioned or uncertain.' It changed the policy to defer to principals to determine a student's "sex' when 'questioned or uncertain,' and added a line that says that, in accordance with Trump's executive order, 'schools are required to consult with their school solicitors relative to compliance with the order.' In response to Trump's order, the NCAA revised its transgender participation policy to limit women's college sports to athletes assigned as female at birth. The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, a governing body for smaller schools, effectively banned transgender athletes in 2023 from women's sports.
