The Pennsylvania School Boards Association (PSBA) agrees with the decision of the Pennsylvania Department of Education to deny the application of Unbound Academic Institute to open a new cyber charter school in Pennsylvania. Unbound Academic Institute’s flawed application shines a light on the need to reform a broken system that forces school districts to raise their local property taxes.
Recent news coverage into the finances of cyber charter schools further highlights the desperate need for reform. While this coverage and denial are useful in some circles and hallways of the Capitol, in today’s “gotcha” climate, the media attention and denial continue to move the respective parties on the cyber charter reform issue further into their corners and makes finding compromise on meaningful reform more difficult.
PSBA is looking to build upon the historic reforms from last legislative session that will continue the call of 94% of locally elected school boards – to enact substantial reforms to Pennsylvania’s charter school law. But these reforms will not be achievable if stakeholders and policymakers cannot put aside the rhetoric that has plagued past reform efforts and come together to find sensible solutions for the students, families and taxpayers of the commonwealth.
