Time to dump overripe Charter Appeals Board

This week we’re asking you to sign a petition to correct an issue affecting millions in tax dollars and the quality of education that students in charter schools receive.

Across the state, students and taxpayers continue to feel the impact of an archaic and broken system of charter oversight.  Since the Charter School Law was enacted in 1997, it has not been updated to ensure better accountability or consider the financial impact charter schools have had on taxpayers, students or communities.

No surprise that the universally despised and ridiculed PA charter law brings with it some terrible governance. 

During the 2016-2017 school year alone, school districts were required by law to send $1.6 billion dollars in payments to charter schools – schools that they do not manage or have control over.  This means that traditional public schools have less money to spend.  Fewer teachers means bigger class sizes. Big cuts mean fewer art and music classes. Less money means things like repairs and updated technology must wait. 

Yet, school districts are required by law to review new and existing applications from charter schools.  If they deny applications, the Charter Appeals Board (CAB) reviews the decision. If the CAB overrides the local school district’s decision, even if the district has already ascertained a charter is skirting the law or is of low quality, taxpayers and students bear the growing costs.

(Here’s where our bad charter situation gets even worse.)

The CAB has six seats. The Governor appoints and the Senate confirms new members to 4-year terms. All five of the sitting members are serving expired terms. Governor Corbett appointed them. The last seat is vacant.

Considering how much power the CAB has and the repercussions its decisions have on students and taxpayers across the Commonwealth, the fact that its members are serving in expired terms with a board that’s not fully appointed seems like yet another failure of Pennsylvania’s Charter School Law to protect taxpayers and students.

Why? Ultimately, it is students and taxpayers that pay the price when charters are renewed or approved over local school board’s objection. When the CAB overrules these local school board decisions, it is deciding how your local school taxes should be spent and it directs the payment of locally collected taxes to charter schools.

Between 2016 and 2018, the CAB has overturned five of eight local decisions.  

Students and taxpayers pay this cost even if students in brick and mortar or cyber charter schools aren’t meeting standards, have less diversity or children enrolled in special education classes than neighborhood schools do, or even if districts offer similar school choice programs that cost less to operate.

The CAB makes these decisions as one of the most powerful boards in the state, yet, it is not operating as the law envisioned.  Each sitting board member was appointed by Governor Corbett whose power to appoint the board expired more than five years ago.

Governor Wolf and the Senate have the authority and responsibility to do something now to make sure that local school boards’ concerns are being heard. Sign the petition today to stop the Pennsylvania Charter Appeal Board from hearing cases until all board members are appointed and serving in four-year unexpired terms.

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