MECHANICSBURG, Pa. (WHTM) -
As more and more midstate students enroll in cyber schools, there is a developing debate over how those schools should be funded. It all revolves around taxpayer dollars.
Half a billion dollars -- that is how much money one state legislator said taxpayers could save if the cyber school funding formula is changed.
But cyber school officials said a drastic change could fail the industry.
In classrooms across the midstate, young minds are being molded by reading, writing and technology.
Meanwhile, more and more students are leaving the traditional classroom for the virtual classroom.
Sonjia Nelson has her children enrolled in cyber school.
"They [cyber schools] provide different math tutoring programs, different reading tutoring programs and these are programs that usually would cost me out of pocket about a couple hundred if I did all of them, for one month," she said. "But they're free to her [my daughter]."
Free, just like public school districts. But it is ultimately costing Central Pennsylvanians, according to some lawmakers.
"The taxpayers are footing the bill, certainly," said Representative Mike Fleck (R-Blair, Hunting don and Mifflin).
"Our increased cost in cyber over the last seven years: we've gone from $200,000 to $1.5 million in paying for charters," said Dr. William Harner, superintendent at Cumberland Valley School District. "A lot of it takes away from our core purpose right here of educating the 8,200 students here in Cumberland Valley."
Superintendents across the midstate are also raising their hands and questioning the way cyber schools are funded.
"Say right here in [Cumberland Valley], our cost is $12,000. Next door in South Middleton it may be $11,000. Over here in Mechanicsburg it may be 12,500," said Harner.
Some superintendents said the government should charge every school district the same amount of money for each cyber charter students. They even say this would benefit conventional students.
"[With a flat fee] we would probably save somewhere between $4,000 and 6,000 a student. That's a lot of money," said Harner. "Times 200 students. And that's probably a couple teachers."
But cyber charter school officials don't like that idea.
"I also don't think it's fair. It should be a flat fee to all districts because where a Lower Marion school district may be able to afford say $10,000 per student, that would be devastating to some of our lesser funded and smaller school districts," said Maurice Flurie, CEO of PA Commonwealth Connections.
What is the right answer? Fleck has proposed legislation he said will save $500,000 over the next few years.
"Without these accountability mechanisms in place, it's gonna really cause havoc in the education and financially for the state," said Fleck.
But cyber charter school officials said that would only cause students to fail.
"Dramatic reductions in funding in Pennsylvania will definitely diminish the quality of the choices to the students in this Commonwealth. And that's what we have to guard against," said Flurie.
Fleck introduced his bill at the end of last year, but it was shot down. He plans to re-introduce the bill.
For more information on Fleck's bill, visit his website http://www.repfleck.com/NewsItemPrint.aspx?NewsID=14662.
