Committee to Consider Charter School Reforms this Fall

Pennsylvania’s charter school law was considered one of the nation’s best when it was enacted in 1997, but 14-years later many are calling for reforms.  “A number of states… have surpassed the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in adopting stronger charter laws, all with the goal of making charter schools more viable and a high quality option,” says Senate Education Committee Chairman Jeffrey Piccola (R-Dauphin).  Piccola convened a capitol hearing, Thursday, on his comprehensive, 145-page charter school reform legislation.   

The bill has been two years in the making and has some bipartisan backing.  Minority Chairman Andy Dinniman (D-Chester), one of the bill’s cosponsors, says it insists on transparency and accountability.  “We say, are you fiscally accountable?  Do you provide what you need to provide at the best cost and in the most productive manner?”

SB 904 would – among other things – create an independent commission to oversee and authorize Pennsylvania’s charter schools, allow for direct state funding of charter schools, and create a new task force to investigate funding issues.  Pennsylvania currently has 90,000 students enrolled in charter schools, and 30,000 students on waiting lists.  Most of the students waiting for charter school slots are in Philadelphia.

The committee’s charter school reform push isn’t without its critics though.  The Pennsylvania School Boards Association testified that almost all charter school funding is provided by the districts, and SB 904 does not provide any meaningful funding reform.  State Senator Daylin Leach also raised concerns about the impact on the schools that students are leaving.  “It is a net loss to the school, and since the school is just a building, it is a net loss to the other students who are in that school.” 

Sen. Piccola anticipates action on charter school reform this fall.  Other big education issues, on the horizon, include school vouchers and mandate relief.