Cyber Charter funding and oversight<\/p>\n
Some of the biggest education policy changes in the budget revolve around cyber charters, which are privately operated and paid for with tax dollars that students can attend remotely via webcam.<\/p>\n
Cyber charters have come under intense scrutiny in Pennsylvania by officials from both parties. A February report by GOP state Auditor General Tim DeFoor looking at five cyber charters found they were raising large amounts of money and spending it in ways that didn\u2019t seem tied to educational outcomes or opportunities.<\/p>\n
Generally, tuition for cyber charter schools comes from the public school districts where the students resides. This remains the case, but public schools will now be able to deduct a greater amount from the total they would have had to pay per student.<\/p>\n
The legislature estimates savings for public school districts will be around $178 million statewide.<\/p>\n
The move was a compromise with mostly Democratic lawmakers and Gov. Josh Shapiro, who had called to cap cyber charter tuition at $8,000 per student.<\/p>\n
\u201dIt\u2019s a step in the right direction, and it is a very welcome step,\u201d said Susan Spicka, the executive director of Education Voters PA, who has been a longtime advocate for cyber charter reform.<\/p>\n
A number of policies will also be instituted with the intent of adding accountability for cyber charters.<\/p>\n
One is an attempt to reign in truancy at the largely remote schools. A new policy will bar public school students with high truancy rates from transferring to cyber charters, unless a judge decides it\u2019s in their best interest.<\/p>\n
Students will also be required to be visible on webcam during synchronous instruction \u2014\u00a0real-time lessons \u2014 in order to be marked in attendance.<\/p>\n
A hallway in the Pennsylvania Capitol building in Pittsburgh on October 14, 2025. (Photo by Jessica Kourkounis for the Pennsylvania Capital-Star)<\/p>\n Cyber charters will also be required to conduct mandatory weekly wellness checks on students. Teachers will also be required to undergo training in recognizing signs of child abuse.<\/p>\n The moves follow the death of one cyber charter student<\/a> following severe abuse at home, signs of which were not reported by teachers. That led the students\u2019 family to file a wrongful death lawsuit<\/a> against her school.<\/p>\n The budget also institutes a policy that\u2019s intended to make it easier for public school districts to dispute paying cyber charter tuition for students who are no longer residents.<\/p>\n House Education Chair Peter Schweyer (D-Lehigh) says the move came in response to reports that public school districts faced an onerous process for disputing tuition payments for students that moved during the school year.<\/p>\n \u201cThe goal isn\u2019t to beat up on the cyber schools,\u201d Schweyer said of the reforms. \u201cIt\u2019s to make sure the students are learning and the tax payers are getting what they\u2019re paying for in all this.\u201d<\/p>\n Tweaking the adequacy formula<\/p>\n Last year,\u00a0 lawmakers created a new adequacy formula for doling money to the state\u2019s least funded school districts. That was in response to a Commonwealth Court ruling that found the state\u2019s public school funding scheme had been unconstitutionally inequitable.<\/p>\n By and large, the adequacy formula, which takes into account factors like district poverty levels and the number of students learning English as a second language, remains the same this year. However, more than $500 million\u00a0 in additional dollars will be distributed through it.<\/p>\n Most of the funding was part of a planned step up from last year. When lawmakers created the formula, they had planned to increase spending through it annually until the total reaches around $4.5 billion after nine years.<\/p>\n Yet despite early pushback from some Republicans, who said they felt too much money was being distributed to a school system with dwindling enrollment numbers, the budget that passed will dole out even more money through the adequacy formula than what Gov. Josh Shapiro had asked for in his February budget address.<\/p>\n That\u2019s because lawmakers instituted a $50,000 minimum distribution for all school districts, meaning even districts that would have otherwise received no money through the adequacy formula will now receive the $50,000 each.<\/p>\n Gov. Josh Shapiro at the 2025-2026 budget signing ceremony on Nov. 12, 2025 (Ian Karbal\/Capital-Star)<\/p>\n More than 130 of the 500 public school districts will receive the minimum amount this year.<\/p>\n \u201cWe recognize that all school districts have some sort of additional needs, so we put a minimum funding balance of $50,000 for all school districts,\u201d Schweyer said. \u201cNone of that hurts any school districts, in fact it makes sure that all school districts are in a good space.\u201d<\/p>\n The move to increase funding through the adequacy formula, which faced an uncertain future during the months-long negotiation over the budget, was hailed by public school advocates.<\/p>\n \u201cWith this budget, lawmakers affirmed that the Commonwealth remains on the path toward a fully and fairly funded public education system,\u201d read a joint statement from the Education Law Center and Public Interest Law Center, two nonprofits that were involved in the lawsuit that led to the creation of the adequacy formula. \u201cThis is another step forward \u2013 one that must be followed by continued commitment and sustained investment until every student, in every community, has the resources they need to learn and thrive.\u201d<\/p>\n Teacher recruitment and retention<\/p>\n The budget also institutes policies aimed at helping Pennsylvania schools recruit and retain teachers.<\/p>\n Currently, the state\u00a0 faces a teacher shortage<\/a>, with a high number leaving the industry and a dwindling number of people entering it.<\/p>\n Policies implemented by the new budget are intended to make it easier for new teachers to enter the profession, including those coming from nontraditional backgrounds.<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/719d0552549affe1bcbacd6dbcc7643e.jpeg\"\/)
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