PA Budget passes but the devil is in the funding for Cyber Charter Schools @PAGOP

I am watching #PCN today and hoping they do not cut Cyber Charter School funding. @PAGOP, The PA Budget is passed, but the devil is in the funding. Please write a letter to your legislator with this simple message today. NO CUTS TO CYBER CHARTER SCHOOLS. We do support the transparency, accountability and reconciliation language provisions but NO CUTS !!! Pennsylvania Leadership Charter School (PALCS) PALCS Student Government

Link to “find your House Legislator”: http://www.house.state.pa.us/

Link to “find your Senator”: http://www.pasen.gov/

Senate Republican Leadership:

Joe Scarnati - jscarnati@pasen.gov

Jake Corman - jcorman@pasen.gov

Pat Browne - pbrowne@pasen.gov

Senate Ed Committee Chair: Lloyd Smucker - lsmucker@pasen.gov

Senate Democrat Leadership:

Anthony Williams - williams@pasenate.com

House R Leadership:
Mike Turzai - mturzai@pahousegop.com

Dave Reed- dreed@pahousegop.com

Bryan Cutler- bcutler@pahousegop.com

Bill Adolph- wadolph@pahousegop.com

Kerry Benninghoff- kbenning@pahousegop.com

House D Leadership:
Tom Dermody- fdermody@pahouse.net

Joe Markosek- JMarkose@pahouse.net

Mike Hanna- mhanna@pahouse.net

House Ed Committee Chair: Stan Saylor- ssaylor@pahousegop.com

jscarnati@pasen.gov

jcorman@pasen.gov

pbrowne@pasen.gov

lsmucker@pasen.gov

williams@pasenate.com

mturzai@pahousegop.com

dreed@pahousegop.com

bcutler@pahousegop.com

wadolph@pahousegop.com

kbenning@pahousegop.com

fdermody@pahouse.net

JMarkose@pahouse.net

mhanna@pahouse.net

ssaylor@pahousegop.com

pagov@palcs.org

Pennsylvania Cyber Education Funding Cuts! Contact Governor Wolf and your senator!

Dear Governor Wolfe and PA Senate,

I am writing to ask you to not support the current budget proposal by Governor Wolf that contains a proposed $27M cut to PA Cyber Charter Schools. The Commonwealth Senate is also proposing a 6.7% cut. 

My experience has  been different from what has been reported in the news about the ineffectiveness of a virtual setting in education. This year in our extra curricular student council students wrote and submitted a bill that will solve the problem of individual guidance for students in the exit step after high school. The students wrote a bill that uses technology to solve this problem. This bill has been introduced by Dan Truitt in the House of Representatives.  To solve the problem students from across the Commonwealth met in virtual classrooms with me for two years to brainstorm, and solve this difficult problem, I am the adviser for this student run organization. I do not believe we could have solved this problem in a traditional setting. The varied input from rural and urban areas filtered out blind spots in the process of developing a statewide solution.

These students have also written a constitution for their organization this year. Throughout our 12 year history our students have developed and implemented effective rules to govern their own actions. This process has resulted in international trips to Panama, an exchange program to China, proms and talent shows on both sides of the state, a self regulated forum of free speech, and a yearbook. 

Cyber charters already begin with an average of 25% less in funding than traditional district schools, although they are required to provide the same level of education. The Governor’s proposed cuts would be an 18%-20% reduction to the average basic education funding for these students that are already receiving less.These cuts would severely impact the Cyber Charter Schools’ ability to properly educate their students, especially those with specialized needs. Students attending Cyber Charter Schools do so because traditional public schools have not met their specific academic and/or personal needs. I hope that you agree with me that parents should have the right to public school choice and that their children should be treated equally no matter where they receive an education.

Sincerely,

Pat Parris

New Pennsylvania school funding law passed!

http://www.mcall.com/news/nationworld/pennsylvania/mc-pa-school-funding-law-20160603-story.html A new funding law has been passed that increase equity among school districts and does not hurt charter schools. Pennsylvania Leadership Charter School (PALCS)  PALCS Student Government #edchat, #palcspln

There is a  $200 million 10 year phase in period with the goal of increasing equality among the rural, impoverished, and school districts with student who are learning English. The law also considers the median income of tax payers in each district. 

2016 PA Leadership Families for Cyber Charter Schools Day on the Hill.

My students and I went to Harrisburg yesterday to advocate for Cyber Education.

We had 14 students and two teachers participated in the Day on the Hill this year.

Half of these students distributed over 10 packs of 100 letters to representatives and senators on the importance of Cyber Education as an educational choice.  A highlight of the trip was lunch, when a clergyman started a rap to promote public education right at the table where our students were sitting. I  enjoyed watching the awkward faces of my students during this impromptu serenade. 

The other half of the students were members of our SLIC committee. SLIC stands for Student Legislative Initiative Committee. We had been working with Senator Smucker for two years to develop legislation that would help students decide the next step after high school. We had recently finished this legislation and titled it “The Stepping into Careers Act of 2016”. Yesterday we were introducing the bill for sponsorship. Unfortunately, since Senator Smucker will become Congressman Smucker he is no longer able to introduce the bill. However, at the end of the day the SLIC committee was able to get on the hearing schedule with another House bill that is similar to our act. This bill is being introduced by representative Seth Grove, and we are scheduled on June 15th to speak at a hearing in Harrisburg. 

Congratulations to the SLIC committee members and our Student Government Senators for making a difference at 2016 PA Families for Cyber Day on the Hill.

Photos.

https://goo.gl/photos/PHddVu5S888522UdA

Letter to Governor Wolf of Pennsylvania

Governor Wolf,

I am a Cyber Charter School Teacher whose job is threatened by a lack of funding in the former budget. I am 60 Years of age, and have dedicated the past 12 years to developing cyber education. I have written a BLOG about my advocacy that can be found here. http://cyberschoolpa.blogspot.com/

I am writing to you today to support HB 1460. I recognize that this bill is not everything that you are looking for as the new leader of our Commonwealth. However, I think it is a good compromise that will keep school doors open for millions of teachers and students. These people are not responsible for this budget impasse. Should they be punished for it?

Respectfully, 

Patric L.  Parris 

Please vote no to HB 530 and cuts to charter & cyber charter schools

Dear Senator, State Legislator, and Governor,

 

I am aware of the efforts in Harrisburg by my elected state legislators, House Representatives, and Senators to undermine the support for PA public-charter schools and to cut funding to the charter-education model that serves individual Pennsylvanians who cannot thrive or succeed in their local school district. Charter students are public-school students, too, and their education and successes are just as important as their district counterparts.

 

Please vote NO for the School Code/HB 530.  Also say no to unnecessary cuts to charter & cyber charter schools. Do not use a procedural vote to cut charter & cyber charter school funding.

 

I am asking that you please give your support to equality and fairness in the allocation of public-school state funding and, in doing so, provide the freedom of educational choice to all Pennsylvania parents and students.

 

Creating legislation against charter schools makes PA’s educational communities feel like second-class citizens when they do not deserve to be treated or served as such. Please do not cast a vote that will further distance or delay our state’s need for the school choice and individual-student accommodations provided by PA charter schools.

 

Please update me on how you plan to support Pennsylvania charter and cyber-charter schools so that my family and I can feel confident about the future of school choice. I look forward to your response.

 

 

Sincerely,

 

 

Patric L. Parris

An open letter to Pennsylvania Legislators

It looks like we are going to get hit. I got this last night from our CEO. Please write / call the leaders in the Senate and House to let them know that you oppose cuts that have been proposed by the governor (as much as 30%), House Bill 530 (4-8%) and other proposals that attempt to treat charter schools as second class public schools. Here is my sample letter.

 

 

 

 

Dear Senator, State Legislator, and Governor,

The current plan to cut charter school funding to the lowest common denominator will hurt charter schools severely. Our school, PA Leadership Charter School has 2500 students. We do not advertise, and we do not have an economy of scale to operate at just under $6000 per student. We will be forced to increase class size, lay off teachers, and move to turn-key solutions that will eliminate teacher and student interaction. How can this be helping students? I oppose cuts that have been proposed by the governor (as much as 30%), House Bill 530 (4-8%) and other proposals that attempt to treat charter schools as second class public schools. Raising the Education budget from $350-$400 million at the expense of charter school is a mistake. I am aware of the efforts in Harrisburg by my elected state legislators, House Representatives, and Senators to undermine the support for PA public-charter schools and to cut funding to the charter-education model that serves individual Pennsylvanians who cannot thrive or succeed in their local school district. Charter students are public-school students, too, and their education and successes are just as important as their district counterparts.

I am asking that you please give your support to equality and fairness in the allocation of public-school state funding and, in doing so, provide the freedom of educational choice to all Pennsylvania parents and students.

Creating legislation against charter schools makes PA’s educational communities feel like second-class citizens when they do not deserve to be treated or served as such. Please do not cast a vote that will further distance or delay our state’s need for the school choice and individual-student accommodations provided by PA charter schools.

Please update me on how you plan to support Pennsylvania charter and cyber-charter schools so that my family and I can feel confident about the future of school choice. I look forward to your response.,

Can you please get back to me on this?

Please consider writing your legislator about this. Some of the most innovative public charter schools are the smallest. Governor Wolf's budget cuts target these schools, and will punish them severely for innovation. You can send a template email at this site in 5 minutes. 

If you are feeling more ambitious, then you can find your legislator by typing in your address here. Please consider sending a quick email to him. Also send a note to the governor, and your state senator at these links. 

• the governor
• state senator

Pat Parris