Seneca Valley Approves Resolution Seeking to Reform Cyber Charter Funding

Seneca Valley School Board voted Monday to approve a resolution that calls for the state Legislature to reform the state's cyber charter school law.

School officials contend that there is "double dipping," according to the Pittsburgh Post Gazette, because districts must pay pension costs as part of the cyber charter school tuition formula, but schools are only reimbursed up to 50 percent of their pension costs under the state retirement code.

Officials also contend that cyber charter schools don't have to make their expenses public, and the district can't verify that its contributions are going solely to education, the Post Gazette said.

"They are privately owned and many of their executives' salaries and expenses are not made public," Seneca Valley Superintendent Tracy Vitale told the newspaper.

According to the resolution, nearly 200 Seneca Valley students have opted to attend cyber charter schools each year with Seneca Valley sending $7.3 million over the past five years to cyber charter schools. 

The resolution cites a special report from the auditor general addressing disparities in the funding formula, and urges all parents and teachers to contact the General Assembly to support reform. 

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