Cyber Charters in PA, Budget Games in AZ
Public schools take a backseat to privatization schemes
School privatization efforts inevitably disrupt state budgets and end up leaving kids behind. Stories out of Pennsylvania and Arizona underscore these points.
Peter Greene reports on the need for cyber charter reform in PA - reform, because once the privatization horse is out of the barn, there’s really no going back:
A report released in January of 2022 by Children First found that of the 27 states with cyber charters, Pennsylvania spends the most but has the “weakest systems to ensure students and taxpayers are getting their money’s worth.” And taxpayers are not; reports repeatedly find that the cyber charters are underperforming.
Even the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools has called for cyber charter reform. Nationally, cyber charters have a low graduation rate; one report found that 73% of cyber charters have a graduation rate below 50%. Another reports that students stay in cyber-charters for an average of only two years.
In Arizona, vouchers are dealing a devastating blow to the state budget. Public school advocates at Save Our Schools AZ are suggesting the “best case” scenario is a budget with no cuts to public education.
There’s simply no new money to fund schools because the voucher scam eats up all the extra cash in state coffers:
This budget won’t be a winner for K-12 public schools. Prepare to be disappointed, because there’s NO money due to the $1 billion voucher scam and Ducey’s massive tax cuts for the rich. The legislature is having to backfill $300 million for Prop 123 because Republicans wouldn’t negotiate a renewal, and Supt. Horne has recently requested an additional $200 million driven by vouchers. But this budget will prevent cuts to public schools — unlike the House Republican version.
