Probst votes to return $456 million back to taxpayers

Rep. Tarah Probst    July 7, 2023 | 3:43 PM

HARRISBURG, July 7 – State Rep. Tarah Probst today voted to bring $456 million back to Pennsylvania taxpayers by requiring fairness in the way cyber/charter schools operate.

“Millions of taxpayer dollars that are meant for brick-and-mortar public schools are being siphoned away to these cyber programs for reimbursement. The funding is not tied to actual costs and with little oversight. That is why I voted for House Bill 1422 to modernize cyber/charter school funding and prevent tax dollars from being spent on advertising, baseball tickets, and other non-educational items,” said Probst.

“Families and seniors are losing their homes from local school taxes in Monroe County. Cyber/charter schools take $40 million out of our Monroe County school districts. This practice has gone silent for over two decades and I needed to bring it to light. These reforms are a must in our county to not only stop the hemorrhaging of money out of our brick-and-mortar public schools, but these reforms can actually help reduce property taxes in the future.”

Probst offered the following local example of the inequity in reimbursements:

Educating a child in the East Stroudsburg Area School District cyber program costs the district $2,500 each. Sending an ESASD child to an outside cyber/charter school costs the district an average of $15,603. The cost to educate an ESASD special education student is between $22,677-$22,760. Yet sending an ESASD special education child to an outside cyber/charter school costs the district on average $41,169. East Stroudsburg Area School District will pay out $9 million to cyber/charter schools this year.

“Let me be clear about one misconception that is being used by cyber/charter school supporters. This legislation does not ‘cut’ funding for those schools, but instead brings these institutions more in-line with how we are required to fund our traditional public schools. This ensures a more appropriate use of taxpayer dollars used by cyber/charter schools.

“When we underfund and divert dollars away from our public school districts, it falls on local property taxpayers to make up the difference. This system is not making things better for our public schools or taxpayers.”

House Bill 1422 would:

  • Annually set a cyber/charter tuition rate.
  • Implement a tiered Special Education Fair Funding Formula used by public schools for cyber/charter schools.
  • Require transparency and reasonable restrictions for advertising, sponsorships and other expenses not related to student learning.
  • Cap unassigned fund balances.
  • Provide wellness checks for students to ensure their well-being and to verify participation.
  • Require cyber/charter school meetings to follow the Sunshine Act.
  • Require ethical reporting standards that public school board members and school district officials live up to.
  • Eliminate conflicts of interests.

Probst said the charter and cyber school law has not been reformed since it was enacted in 1997.

The bill moves to the state Senate for consideration.