Katie Meyer of Spotlight PA | June 10, 2024

HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s public school districts could save roughly $530 million annually if the legislature makes long-sought changes to how cyber charters are funded.

Democratic and Republican lawmakers told Spotlight PA such reforms could be included in this year’s budget, which is expected to focus on education. The Democratic-controlled state House is already moving a sweeping bill that would cap the tuition that districts pay to cyber charters, change the tuition calculation for disabled students, and increase oversight.

“It’s no secret that education is the centerpiece of this budget,” said state Rep. Jesse Topper (R., Bedford), the minority chair of the House Education Committee. “We’re talking about basic education, we’re talking about higher education, we’re talking about every possible aspect of education in this budget as being a key piece of it. So why wouldn’t this be the year to maybe finally get something done on this issue?”

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