Pennsylvania school districts are now estimated to spend more than $3 billion in taxpayer money on mandatory payments to brick-and-mortar and cyber charter schools. The costs of charter schools for school districts continue to grow significantly each year with charter tuition paid by school districts up 253% over the last 12 years while charter enrollment only increased 118%. This was exacerbated during the pandemic, with over 22,000 students shifting to cyber charter schools at an additional statewide cost of over $335 million.

On a statewide basis, charter school tuition payments are the most identified source of pressure on school district budgets. Now more than ever, there is a growing momentum from school officials across the state to call for charter school funding reform. Each superintendent listed below will speak to the issue of charter reform as it relates to their respective school district and will answer questions from the media related to this topic.

Jennifer Holman, Northwestern Lehigh School District
Joseph Roy, Bethlehem Area School District
John Stanford, Allentown School District
Christian Temchatin, Kutztown Area School District
Mark J. Madson, Parkland School District