Jon, do you know that students that go to cyber school are also allowed to play all sports at their local schools. They join little league, hockey. football teams in their community. They don't have to make friends on the net People now are optioning for cyber schools because of school districts like Baldwin who's ratings keep on going down and unless they change members on the school board and the administration then it will continue to send more children to charter and cyber schools

We need new board members at Baldwin along with a better Administration. They care more about videos and making the schools pretty instead of giving our kids an education.

Mana, I've always wondered...how do you help keep your kids socialized with other kids their age? I'm not sure how old your kids are, but do they participate in after school sports, activities?

Marianna, yes, they play sports, scouts (wonderful organization) and church. plus, having 4 children, they have each other to socialize with. if you can get along with your siblings you can get along with anyone!

thanks for asking!

Marianna they are still entitled to play sports for the school districts after all the school district keeps 20% of the money from each student for that reason. the students that goes to cyber school usually get testing done at the school district too.

I agree with you Disappointed. And, ML, the factors you listed are factors that need to be accounted for in the school budgets. Have you looked at WH's enrollment/ It's gone down 30 percent in the last 7 or 8 yrs. There is absolutely no reason they should continue to operate on the same budget.

Sue, ml doesn't even have children in the school district and she post parts of articles to make herself seem smart but you need to go read the whole article. The schools keep 20% of them money for each student that goes to cyber or charters schools. Is that fair to the parents that opted to send their children elsewhere, no it isn't Cyber students go on field trips and do things outside of sitting in front of a computer Students from Baldwin who go to charter and cyber schools are getting a better education that what Baldwin is providing.

WH is Woodland Hills school district. A two year old could figure that one out.

I guess that makes you a two year old.

NE12Ukid and your alias ml are a lmfaooooooooooo. you two haven't even gotten off a baby bottle yet.

and you don't think that happens in brick and mortal schools? parents have been doing the work since time began. Parents and children need options. My children are gifted and not challenged. Cyber school lets them work at their own pace and not of the pace determined by the slowest moving child.

and no, a B&M school cannot do a cyber school better only worse because they are only in it for the money, not the educational needs. If B&M schools would put ALL children's needs first and not just autistic, maybe these children would not be filing out the doors.

Reba parents who have kids in public and private schools help their children with work, and no difference. Going to cyber school is just like going to public school, they start at 8 am in the morning, have 45 minute classes, get 5 minutes between classes to use the bathroom and then they are back to learning. They do teaching though a program like Skype, teachers take enrollment and knows when students aren't their at their desk. Students and parents can also be held accountable at the magistrate if their students misses the same requirements as in a public school. Plus with cyber school they learn better then the Students do at Baldwin

Help kids yes, all parents should help there child with work and teach them how to get and find the answers themselves but I'm talking a student who put off doing work all together and then they all banned together to get it done. Parents and friends completed the assignments completely on there own, while the student worked on other late and non -completed assignments. This doesn't teach our children anything positive except maybe teamwork. I'm not saying all students and parents do this, Im saying that some do and that should not be acceptable. I think the system needs to be looked at is all I'm saying.

Any Parent can call a cyber school and make an appointment to see how it i ran, can sit in classrooms to see how they teach.

Isn't it funny how caught up people get about the financials of cyber schools, but not of B&M schools?

I agree with you Bob, tax dollars should not go to For Profit Schools and take away from the Public system. If parent what to send their children to Cyber or another school other than public then they should fork over the cash themselves.

Baldwin Whitehall isn't providing "Then the public schools would not have enough money to provide a decent education for anyone." Parents have a right to choose to send their child to Baldwin Whitehall or a cyber or charter school. but once again blah blah blah blah blah. It would be nice if we lived in a school district that cares about our children EDUCATION, but since we don't more power to the Parents who choose to send their student to Charter and Cyber School. Maybe one day Baldwin will wake up and decide our children educations comes first.

Hi Mr. Zanakis. Just wanted to point out that there are no for-profit cyber charter schools in Pennsylvania. The PA Charter School Code defines a Cyber Charter School as follows:

"Cyber charter school" shall mean an independent public school established and operated under a charter from the Department of Education and in which the school uses technology in order to provide a significant portion of its curriculum and to deliver a significant portion of instruction to its students through the Internet or other electronic means. A cyber charter school must be organized as a public, nonprofit corporation. A charter may not be granted to a for-profit entity.

Charter and Cyber Charter schools are absolutely competitors to traditional public schools, which was the whole point in creating them. Competition is good, and we as consumers always win when there is healthy competition. But PA charter schools are not for-profit........never have been. Just wanted to clarify that.

I have mixed emotions about the school taxes we are paying to educate the students in Baldwin/Whitehall and they keep on pulling money away from education and hiring dean of students. Cutting the budget for technology when more money should be placed into it. If parents choose to send their child to cyber or charter school because of a better education why should we be complaining. After all they are paying school taxes probably before their children were of school age and will be paying them long after their children graduate. Taxes don't stop just because you don't have students in the school. Some people don't want to be paying these taxes now as they don't have children in the district but it was ok when other peoples taxes were paying for their students to be in school.

Are you saying that children who have actually been tested and met the criteria for gifted are given no enrichment or acceleration? Or are you just talking about kids who might be bright, but not actually gifted.
Do you know the difference?

Yes, i know the difference between gifted and bright. Two of my children are considered gifted, one has a mensa level iq. the mensa level iq, reads at a 6th -8 grade level, yet every reading activity is at a 3rd grade level (current classroom). Left behind? YES!

Mana, I ONLY ASKED because if a child has been tested and identified as GIFTED in PA, they get a GIEP. Not all states provide an IEP for gifted exceptionalities, but PA does.

Mana,

Since you have a gifted children you should know about I.E.P's for gifted children. Use that to get what you want for your kids.

Yes, the boys do have GIEP but it is really difficult to get anything meaningful put in because the school adds qualifying restrictions. For example, for math compacting (not acceleration) the child has to score a 93% or above. This doesn't reflect his ability to work faster than his peers or understand something deeper only that he knows the material.

Then there are other competition based items. The gifted students compete against the entire school. Highest PSSA score goes...

I am a huge fan of cyber schools because they go at their own pace as deep and as fast as they want can ( while being lead by their parents)

Since this is an Individualized Education Plan, that is what it should be. I have 2 deaf kids (now grown) and did more than my fair share of I.E.P.'s. The key word is Individualized. Just because everyone else has something in their I.E.P. doesn't mean your kid has to have it.

With all the cuts to education at Baldwin, parents are better off sending their children to cyber school.

Be honest how many kids do you see outside playing, Most kids sit at home on their gaming systems talking to their friends or texting on cell phones. We have about 20 children on our street and none are outside, once in awhile you will see a parent outside teaching a child how to ride a bike but not very often. Back in the days, we came home from school, did homework and then were outside till dinner time, then back outside till the streetlights came on. In this day and age very few are outside

Most cyber schools use programs like Skype to make sure the student is in class and they use microphones to answer teachers questions.

swyklocal, I agree with you there. My grandson who is in 1st grade is reading on a 4th grade level and doing math on a 3rd grade level. My son and daughter in law started teaching him how to read and do math before he was 3 years old School districts don't t have the resources to keep up with children who are above their grade level and they have no clue what to do in teaching them. He is in cyber school down in VA and he is being taught on 3 different grade levels. He also goes twice a week up to the Public School for Gym Class. He is also involved with sports at the public school and is participating in track.

disappointed I totally agree and that is why the Government need to have a voucher program. If they want the students to enroll in local schools then they would put more money into educating our children instead wasting 20,000 to make a video to attract people to buy homes in Baldwin/Whitehall School District which was a big flop.. They wouldn't be wasting money on Dean of Sports, cutting the Technology Department. The school would be working to make Baldwin a top 10 school district. People voted for these people to be on the school board and we need to vote them out and get new people in their place that want to better our children education instead of hiding everything behind close doors.

<< If my taxes just followed my child to the Charter School instead of going to their home district school first then they wouldn't even know it was missing. >>>

But in most cases what goes to the cyber charter is more than was paid by that parent in taxes per child.

CC - You convince me that the Baldwin school district is not doing a very good job every time you post.

Why, is cc a BW grad?

NE12Ukid, yes I did graduate from Baldwin. I also had 4 children go though the district and one is there now. Big difference in Education from when my Oldest graduated in 2001 till now. Back then a house wouldn't last on the market more than 2 weeks. Now homes in Baldwin/Whitehall can sit on the market for a year. Over the last year 5 houses have been put on the market, 2 sold so far. 2 of the houses were given back to the banks after the owners purchases homes in other districts (Peters and Bethel Park), the one next to me is empty and been keeping an eye on it for them and they are paying my daughter to cut the grass once a week.

Jon I don't know how to take you either and want to choke you so were even. But I do think kids do need to get off the net, way from gaming systems, away from the tv and get outside and exercise. Being a widow and raising 5 children on my own wasn't easy as they were all in different sports and we were always on the go from one field to another, swim meets to track. Now that I only have one left at home I do miss all the chaos that went with all 5 of them being at home and trying to be in 5 different places at the same time. I enjoy now though when I'm not busy with my daughters swimming and track. I feel blessed now that I can still go and watch 12 of my grand children play sports or pack up their bikes in the back of the truck and head out to different trails and go bike riding with them so we all can go and get some old fashion exercising in.

Mrs Obama would be proud of your family exercise.

ne12ukid, I can thank the Republicans for what I accomplished plus with being a Business Owner. According to obama, I didn't create my own business, he had a hand in it. But sorry to say that since he has been president I have lost money, since everything has gone up from GAS, utilities, car maintenance, cost of medical went up 37.38% since obamacare was put into place. The profit sharing that I do for employ. So don't tell me michelle would be proud, because I am ashamed of them on how they are destroying this Great Land.

That will hamper the productivity.

This may be the first CYBER charter to unionize, but not the first charter school.

Why should it be any different then what a school like Baldwin Charges. Cyber/Charter school classes are smaller and give children more individual learning experiences. Children learn at their own pace, more help from teachers when a student doesn't understand what he is learning. Why should 13,000 + be given to Baldwin School District when they are doing a lousy job teaching our students and cared about our students learning. Plus home school district keep 20% of the money per cyber/charter student. They should have to turn that money over back to the state, federal government because they aren't teaching our students and not providing anything for them.

SWYKLocal if you are saying that in a cyber-environment a teacher should be able to handle 40 students then the same should apply to teachers in a Brick and Mortar School. Cyber Schools have a better ratio of teachers to students to give them a better individualize education.
The same cost per student in a Brick or Mortar School should be no more than 8K on what you are saying, but the school district keeps 20% of the money from the alloted amount. Baldwin is getting over 10,000 per student a year and when they have to send the money to a charter or cyber school for a student they are only sending a little over 8,000. Why shouldn't the full amount be sent with the student. That 2,000 that they are getting should be returned to the state if a child doesn't make use of joining sports or activities at the local school, but the School Districts keep the money.
If I had a children today in school, I would be opting to send my children to where the ratio of student/teacher is 9 students to 1 in a cyber/charter school than then 25-30/1 ratio in a Brick or Mortar School. I would expect students on this ratio getting a much better education than at your Brick or Mortar School.

Jon I would really have to go on a search for a grey hair. Last time I seen one was about a year ago.

Jon, I work about 60 or more hours a week, with 1 in college, 1 military, 1 high school, 2 married with children, shopping, cleaning and a never ending laundry pile, I don't have more than a hour a week to go sit down at Eat N Park and meet my friends for coffee, but I do go to school board meetings when I can and also Whitehall Borough meetings. Some days I wished I took up drinking, but do know I am so better off that I don't.

@NE12Ukid – These are truly horrific instances indeed. I’m not sure if you’re meaning to extrapolate a nationwide crisis from two instances. But let’s take that approach. Let’s suppose that two instances are endemic of a nationwide problem with charter/cyber schools. Let’s paint with the broad bunch so many charter/cyber school detractors wish to employ. I'm interested to see where this leads us.

Following your logic, the recent story of improper behavior by a Pittsburgh school police officer must be an indicator of a larger looming problem. Throw in the recent stories of Western PA teachers engaging in inappropriate behavior with students – heck, the multitude of stories nationwide – and we have a real pandemic on our hands. We’re practically handing our children over to horrible, predatory monsters by sending them to public schools.

I don’t know about you NE12Ukid, but I would rather someone steal a little of my money than destroy my child’s innocence. That’s just me though, maybe you have different priorities.

High school administrator in Chicago steals money for IEP
"CHICAGO (WLS) -- A Chicago elementary school that's come a long way in scholastic achievement is reeling after news that its former principal has been charged with stealing school money.

Mirna Diaz, a "superstar" principal in the Chicago Public Schools system faces 42 criminal counts for theft, forgery and unlawful conduct. Her lawyer says "extenuating circumstances" will explain her actions"
http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&id=6071692

Detroit Public Schools principal, bookkeeper suspended over alleged misuse of funds
http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20100223/FREE/100229957#
"Detroit Public Schools Emergency Financial Manager Robert Bobb has suspended the principal and bookkeeper at Randolph Career and Technical Center, alleging misuse of school funds.

The allegations stem from a DPS investigation led by Inspector General John Bell.
The investigation alleges that Principal Gwendolyn Miller used Randolph funds to make more than $29,000 in home mortgage payments between December 2006 and June 2009."

There are many more articles about theft in Public Schools then in Charter and Cyber Schools.

Look what happen to what 2 of the Fireman did from Baldwin Borough. It is a shame out there that any one has to steal. I always tell my children about stealing and if I ever caught them, I think I would turn them in because I didn't bring them up that way to be thieves.

Outraged, no, not at all. I only listed two linked sources, there are plenty more just do a Bing or Google.
and that extrapolation of two = many or all is your logic, not mine.
As to a child's innocence, one really has nothing to do with the other, as I was speaking of fraud of tax money, but since you bring it up, there's this (and more, of course):
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/02/suit-alleges-sexual-abuse_0_n_1644200.html
Sexual abuse at charter school

http://kilroysdelaware.wordpress.com/2011/06/12/delaware-governor-lets-child-abuser-operate-a-delaware-charter-school/
Child abuser opens charter school

http://www.caringforourchildrenfoundation.org/?p=5517
child abused by charter school teacher

http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=news/local&id=7451121
and from New York…

http://www.sptimes.com/2007/05/04/Northpinellas/Charter_school_admini.shtml
Charter school “leader” admits beating girl with belt.

"High school administrator in Chicago steals money for IEP"

Where did this come from? What does stealing money have to do with an I.E.P.?

That must be from cc's post, right, Ed?

@NE12Ukid – It’s really not surprising you didn’t quite get the gist of my post. You haven’t exactly been on speaking terms with reading comprehension and sound logic.

Dear mr outraged,
You wrote: " I’m not sure if you’re meaning to extrapolate a nationwide crisis from two instances. But let’s take that approach."
And I replied to you. NO NOT AT ALL, becasue I was not extrapolating any such thing.
Nothing wrong with my comprehension, just with your imaginary scenario.
so of course the answer is NO, not at ALL.
But thanks for playing. LOL

NE12Ukid for every charter/cyber school article that you can find about someone having their hand in the cookie jar you can find 10 times that amount about Administrators, School board members, school staff having their hands in the cookie jar. It is everywhere that people steal money, banks, fire departments (2 from Baldwin Borough), just got busted within the last month. Theft is everywhere and it is a shame that anyone has to steal.

Ed- Ne12ukid is posting articles about people who work for cyber/charter schools stealing money so I was pointing out to him that it happens in Public Schools in many different places. It just isn't in Cyber/Charter schools that people steal. But she wanted to make a big stink out of it so I was proving to ml that theft is everywhere.

ms ne12ukid, look what happen out in McKeeport the maintenance person worked for the school district and had a girl held hostage for how many years. South Park had a high school teacher busted for having sex with a student. Once again it isn't just in cyber/charter schools. There are a lot of sick people out there. So both points you are trying to make are invalid.

I understand that, cc, but where is "High school administrator in Chicago steals money for IEP" in the article you quoted?

@NE12Ukid – “mr outraged” is my father, please call me outraged.

“But thanks for playing,” punctuated with a “LOL” no less! You’re truly the literary wit of your generation! I can’t wait to see what gems you bring out next. Perhaps a “See ya, wouldn’t want to be ya!” Or maybe a “don’t let the door hit you on the way out!” I can only imagine that Mark Twain, George Orwell, Thomas More and the great Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. can now rest easy with the knowledge you have taken up their mantle.

Reading your post, it’s painfully obvious that you still don’t get it. That’s OK though, you’re just a kid. Perhaps when puberty sets in, your body goes through those awkward changes and you mature a little, you’ll get it. Until then, you and EC should be content with the kids table at Thanksgiving and let mommy and daddy have grown up time.

disappointed does your charter school provide computers, books and internet service to your children. I know when my son and daughter in law signed my grandson up in VA, he was given a new laptop, all of his school books, notebooks, pens, pencils and then they asked my son and daughter in law if they had internet. If they didn't the school would of provided it for him to be able to be in school every day. He also goes on field trips with his class from cyber school once or twice a month. They have gone to zoo's, fire stations and have a trip planned for DC in the spring that the parents don't have to shell out any money for. None of the field trips cost money, the schools tuition pays for them.

The cyber school is financed from our public school tax dollars. Unless things are VERY different in VA, there's no tuition being paid to a cyber charter.
And when they can afford all those extras which many of our public schools cannot, looks like another good argument for some critical reevaluation of the funding of such cyber charters.

I would add that I don't know that VA is having the same issues with the funding formulas and the accusations of misuse of funds that PA is having.

What misuse of funding? If it cost 13,000 at Baldwin to send a student there then the same amount should be given to the Charter/Cyber school. Why should Baldwin keep any money when they are providing nothing to the student. The 20 % should be turned back over to the state or federal government and the home school district shouldn't be able to keep $2,600 out of it. It should cost the same amount to teach a child at a private, charter, public school in all districts.

There is no tuition charged to go to a Public School either, but taxes on our homes, .5% of our income, Federal and State money pay for Public, Charter/Cyber schools. Va pays their charter/cyber schools the same way they pay public schools though taxes, just as they do in Pennsylvania and other states.

bd I agree, I would not send my child to a charter school ran by Baldwin School District. There are many Charter and Cyber schools in PA that have high AYP scores as Peters and Upper St Clair. What is nice about cyber schools they do test your child and build their classes around it. As my grandson is taking classes in 3 grade levels.

<<<bd
Please explain from an education standpoint why a school district should offer cyber classes? I understand the money aspect but if something is offered via cyber that is of education benefit, then why not offer it in the classroom?>>>

Good question, bd. As I see it, offering cyber classes could open up more possible classes. For example if only a few students in each school wanted to take a certain foreign language, and there was just one teacher who could teach that language, cyber classes could open those classes up to students in middle schools and high schools, maybe even some elementary or for the gifted or advanced students. To do this in brick and mortar school, that one teacher might not be able to travel back and forth to the different schools, there could be scheduling problems, might need to hire more teachers without enough students in each class to justify that expense; that sort of thing. But a cyber program could serve all the students who want to take that language, and they could progress through the program at their own pace.
I don't agree that it has to be a competition, instead it is an option, a choice. As said before, cyber school might be the best fit for one kid, but disastrous for another, as children (like adults) have a variety of learning styles.
If Baldwin doesn't offer any cyber classes, how can you know before a program is even chosen that it would be inferior?

NE12Ukid Baldwin is inferior now as a brick and mortar school so do you actually think they would do better with cyber/charter school. I highly doubt it. What is nice about cyber school is students can go back and go over what was taught in the class. Students that are absent can go and see what was taught the day before if they have problem learning what was taught. Can't do that in a brick and mortar school. A parent can take their child on vacation with a cyber school and have their student in class every day without it being held against them. Parents and Students are held accountable also for their student being in class every day too.

So, would you say the same for a B&M school graduation rate? Would you hold me to the same standards? I think there are more to the numbers...

Kathy from what I read, a child who spends all his life in charter or cyber school drop out rate is the same as going to a brick and mortar school. The ones that were thrown out of Public Schools are mostly placed in cyber or a charter school and these kids have issues with going to school. I have a neighbor who's daughter was in Baldwin and was busted up at the High School and was placed in cyber school. Her parents goes to work and she takes off to run the neighborhood and no one is there to make sure that she is doing her work. I do think Parents have to be more involved when you have a child at home doing cyber school, to make sure they are doing the work. My son and daughter in law both work on different shifts so that someone is at home with my grandson so that he gets his work done and isn't sneaking off into the living room to watch tv.

Good points, Kathy.

The parents that have their child in cyber or charter school pay just the same amount of taxes as you do, so why shouldn't they use the money to send to a school of their choice The home school district gets to keep 20% of the money and they aren't teaching the child anything, which isn't fair to the person who chooses to send their child to cyber school. I wish they did have voucher programs because schools districts like Baldwin would be working harder to get their curriculum top notch to keep students instead of wasting and not giving our students a better education.

VERY wise words, DormontMOM.

I believe that several area high schools do offer online learning opportunites, which would be another kind of "blending". There IS teacher interaction, whether it be in a classroom, via skype, or the written word.
For those students with working parents, they could do their cyber/internet classes when the parent gets home, or on the weekends, right?
Of course if those parents work 7-3 or 9-5 type job, no more free babysitting from the school district, eh?

ne12ukid,no that isn't correct, they can't do school at a time they chooose. My grandson's cyber school starts at 8 am in the morning and is done at 2:30 ever4y day. He can't do his classes at night or when the parents are home after work. They have to be in classes just like a child going to a B & M school. If they miss so many days they are turned over to the magistrate just like someone going to a public school. That is why my son and daughter in law work different shifts so that someone is there when he is in school.
I'm glad you only send your children to school because they babysit your children but most people don't send their children to school for free babysitting, they send them to learn.

We're talking about PA cyber charters here, not your grandkid's cyber in another state.
“self-paced” courses allow students to log in whenever they want, “virtual classroom” courses require students to log in together during certain set periods of time---PA cyber school has both FYI.
This article makes that clear if you read the first part, as well as letting us know about an area (in OUR STATE) where public school districts have started their own cyber charter, and also how 11 of the 13 cyber school districts chartered in Pennsylvania missed AYP last year.
Interesting reading:
http://www.pacyber.org/view-bulletin.jsp?restrictids=nu_repeatitemid&restrictvalues=2161392240601346055380435

I wrote: For those students with working parents, they could do their cyber/internet classes when the parent gets home, or on the weekends, right?
Of course if those parents work 7-3 or 9-5 type job, no more free babysitting from the school district, eh?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

cc didn't understand or misread and so wrote:
I'm glad you only send your children to school because they babysit your children but most people don't send their children to school for free babysitting, they send them to learn.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wrong, cc. You probably see your error now.

NE12Ukid - Not all charter cyber schools offer virtual classrooms in Pennsylvania. Pa Cyber School is one that offers these classes but they all don't offer them.

Erinie--I've been reading articles on this for months now, and in each, the school boards are in an uproar because of the money they need to pass on to charter schools (cybr or not). I have yet to see one school idstrict go after the root of the problem. Why are parents/students electing to attend charter (or private or moving) schools rather then the local school district, and what do we do to reverse that trend? Until the school boards start at least asking that question I find it dificult to see any problem with the money going to the charter schools. Obviously they can provide something the local district can not. And the districts haven't even acknowledged that there is a reason students are moving out.

Ernie of that 13,000 Baldwin gets to keep $2,600 (20%), when they aren't even supplying a bus to these students, nor a nurse if they get sick in school. Baldwin last year lost 200 students to Cyber Schools for the 2012-2013 school year and not sure how many parents didn't even register their child with the school district. With all the cuts to teaching for our students our school board and Administration needs to do better, but what did they do this year cut Technology budget. I can't fault any parent that pulls their child from Baldwin for a better Education.

Ernie, look at the money that our school is wasting on two Dean's of Sports. They were only given these jobs as a favor to someone on the school board. They are only there really to coach but getting big bucks.

Ernie how much money is the school district getting to keep for not education a child that is in Cyber/Charter school. 20%, that isn't fair either because they are doing nothing for the student who isn't even in the B & M school. Did you look at the salaries of members on our Administration and what they are paying teachers in the district that couldn't teach a dog to sit up and beg, yet they have a classroom full of students that learn nothing.

I do agree that teachers have to many perks and they do a lousy job of teaching our children. Tenure needs to go, it was great in the 1930-1960 but it just makes schools keep lousy teachers that would of been fired if they were working out in the real world.

The problem with the profit is that it comes at the expense of the local school district. You cannot ask community members to pay school taxes and then turn around and put that money in to some businessman's pocket. Right now, that is the fundamental funding issue that is in front of the Legislature.

As to curriculum, I think you are painting with way, way, way too wide a brush. I now have children in the school district I graduated from a millenia ago, and I can tell you quite surely that the curriculum is vastly different that when I attended.

Accountability is also undergoing changes in PA. The new LAW regarding teacher evaluations AND Administrator evaluations is in place. It wil be a struggle at the start, but it IS a step in the right direction.

As to standards being lowered, on a gutt level, I think I agree. I don't know if I could point to any quantitatve data to support that belief, but it just feels like it is so. I'm not sure there is a solution to the simple fact that different students will learn to different levels, and they must all be taught at the same school, sometimes in the same class, if the district is small.

@SWKYLocal – It’s interesting you would post, “. . . one hates to see tax money go towards profits.” Let’s take a look at that statement. If this were universally true, “one” would be compelled to “hate” the construction or the renovation of roads, bridges and public buildings – like schools – just to name a few. I won’t even get into the myriad of federal and state procurement opportunities that exist.

The government hires private companies to complete these tasks. How do they pay these companies you might ask? That’s right, taxpayer money. Do these companies complete these tasks to break even? No, they do it to make a profit. So, if “. . . one hates to see tax money go towards profits,” then “one hates” the above.

My apologies, but you statement defies logic.

Most contract that the Government write are time and material jobs. Companies make big profits off Government on these T & M jobs.

Outraged Citizen you made perfect sense. It is a shame that ne12ukids couldn't understand what you were saying. so she gets the booby prize, nothing for all the whining she does

Jon you are correct except

"A Fayette County church will likely salvage a controversial Ten Commandments monument and install it on its property -- less than a half-mile from the junior high where it now sits shielded by plywood.
The Connellsville Area school board will decide Wednesday whether the nearby Connellsville Church of God should receive the 5-foot monument.
There, it would still be visible from school grounds."

http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/neighborhoods-south/fayette-co-church-offers-to-take-disputed-monument-652752/#ixzz26JIbLcxe

one thing nice though where they are putting the monument that it can still be seen by middle school students.

... all of our musings on the Patch appear to be for naught and we should probably stop wasting our time. Why? Because the agenda for tomorrow nights board meeting does not include a single item addressing the issue of the PSSA scores and AYP. Brian Rampolla>>>>

I'd like to know why AYP on the PSSA is the only measure of school success.

Brian I just have to wonder though when they talk about AYP and PSSA, their not going to go behind closed doors to do so, as they love to do. Tomorrow is my late night working and going to try to get to the meeting at some points because I have some questions I need answered that I have asked school board members and Administration and all I get from them is a run around.

LOL! Non-profit???? Ok, ok, ok...I am pulling myself back together now...

Yes, I am sure they are all non-profits, just like UPMC is a non-profit. I stand corrected! LOL!

disappointed, sorry I made a mistake on where your children go. I'm happy your child is getting a better education than what the B & M schools provide. I just know about the cyber school that my grandson is going to taking classes in 3 grades and that their cyber school in Va provides the students with laptop, books and everything they need for classes. At the end of the year they return the laptop and will get one back when they start classes for the next year.

No, I believe it said it costs about $13K-something for a CHARTER school student, and about 3K less for a cyber charter.
What follows the student is the PPE of his/her home district, which varies widely. So those kids in the cyber charters are not all "paying" the same amount.
If anything should follow a child, it MIGHT be the exact amount his/her parent actually paid in school taxes, which would not fund much of an education for anyone who does not own property (as cc's tenants in the 14 houses would have any school tax credit for their kids), and far from enough for one special needs child, or to educate children who have multiple siblings.
According to education.com BW spends $10,969 per pupil ;57% on instruction, 39% on support services, and 4% on other elementary and secondary expenditures.
A home owner in BW with a home assessed at 100K pays about 23-2400 in school taxes. Why should that homeowner get 4 or 5x that amount per kid?
It's taking more out than they paid in for sure.

Here's the quote from the article "PA Auditor General: Taxpayers overcharged $365 million annually for charter schools":
The result is Pennsylvania spends an average of $13,411 per student to attend a brick-and-mortar charter school.
That is about $3,000 above the per-student national average or $210 million extra annually.
Cyber schools cost Pennsylvania taxpayers an average of $10,145 per student, about $3,500 above the national average, or $105 million too much a year, according to Wagner.

once again ml aka ne12ukid, leona has no clue what he is talking about. then again just need to ignore the ignorant as they don't know what they are talking about

Readers choice:
believe the linked and cited facts or believe the opinion above.

Brian I really wish I was at the meeting least night as I heard it was very amusing. I again called up to the Administration Building today to ask my questions but still being given the rur-a-round. Next month I am hoping to be able to make it to the school board meeting so that I can ask my questions that will totally shock some of the parents in the school.

Parents that are pulling their children out of our school district are not the ones that have bad children, It is the good students and the students that are being picked on are being placed in cyber and charter schools. Soon it will be all the bullies, the students who could care less about learning and the trouble makers left in the school district. Can't wait to see next years school ranking now that a good portion of the smart kids were pulled out of the district.

That last post makes no sense cc and why are you yelling?

Ed it makes perfect sense since there is one on here that always comments on Baldwin yet has no children in the school and is the expert on the school board, administration, what goes on at the school on a daily bases. Prints partial articles then throws in a bunch of things that comes from other articles on a totally different subject and then tries to pass it off as its writing. Everything that they print comes fofrom a union that our school isn't even part of.. We as people that lived in Baldwin/Whitehall didn't support its child either when they went to Baldwin with our taxes, according to it, shim paid the whole tuition itself for her goats to go to the school distict

cc seems to have gone completely off the deep end now, with the yelling and then the rambling nonsensical accusations.
I believe this comes from cc's continuing insistence that every poster who disagrees with cc, is all ml, so far cc has said this about 8 or 9 different posters.
You're probably next, EdM. If so, welcome to the imaginary world of cc.

no ne12ukid your just a stalker and loves to harass. You need to go find something to do with your life and get out of mine. You the expert on nothing and down at Frish on Saturday you once again were voted a nutcase and there are people in the medical field that think the same thing. You now make names up to pat yourself on the back when everyone knows it your writing. Cant wait till your obamacare puts you in the nuthouse where you belong.

Sounds great, Cindy.
I just signed off on the one who took it off topic to rant and YELL, from here on in, s/he gets only prayers.

I'd like to see each district have a cyber school program, for those students who are unable to behave in class and who disrupt the learning of others, as well as for those students whose learning style meshes best with computerized instruction. Let the districts keep their funding while adding another layer of individualizing instruction for our students. One size does not fit all in education.

Sorry Ne12ukid your are the harasser and you stalk me on every article that I post on. You have no life and are a bully and thank goodness your not on the streets, then again I feel bad for your neighbors as they probably run when they see you outside.

There is no picture of you so clear as the one you paint here of yourself.
May God soothe your tortured soul.