To: The Pennsylvania State House, The Pennsylvania State Senate, and Governor Tom Wolf
PENNSYLVANIA PROPERTY TAX PAYERS: OPPOSE PROPOSED CHARTER SCHOOL LAW REFORM
This petition is designed to keep charter school oversight in local district control instead of allowing other entities or the Pennsylvania Department of Education to spend our property tax dollars without input from our locally elected school board officials.
I urge you to help protect the current local control over charter schools, thereby protecting YOUR property tax dollars.
Why is this important?
Legislation proposed to change current law regarding Charter Schools, SB1085, does harm in that it removes or severely limits the oversight of our democratically elected school board members. Specifically:
• SB1085 allows “institutions of higher learning” to AUTHORIZE Charter Schools instead of your local school board members. Charter Schools authorized by institutions of higher learning would not have ANY local oversight.
• SB1085 allows Charter schools to merge. Once a merger occurs, these entities may petition the Pennsylvania Department of Education for oversight by that Department………..removing all local control.
• SB1085 DOUBLES the Charter renewal period from 5 to 10 years. This means that local elected officials must wait twice as long to deny the renewal of Charters for underperforming Charter Schools which could prevent Charter School students from attaining a quality education.
• SB1085 establishes a Charter School Funding Advisory Board whose members are STACKED IN FAVOR OF Charter Schools. This board is not tasked to consider the financial impact that Charter Schools have on traditional public schools. Overfunding of Charter Schools, especially Cyber Charter Schools is already causing unnecessary property tax increases and is jeopardizing the financial stability of traditional public schools. Local districts may cease to exist due to the financial burdens imposed upon them (and YOU) by excessive Charter School payments and expedited Charter School Growth.
Petition Background
It is well known that the current Charter School Law needs to be updated, mainly in the areas of overfunding of Charter Schools, the double dip pension issue, and the many conflicts of interest that are occurring in regard to Charter School Management Corporations.
While SB1085 takes some steps in the right direction regarding these issues, THE LEGISLATION MUST NOT PASS IN ITS CURRENT FORM due to the many ways in which the Bill removes YOUR VOICE as a property tax payer in Pennsylvania.
PLEASE sign this petition to ensure that YOUR elected local school board officials maintain control over Charter Schools, thus protecting your property tax dollars!
Let’s send an urgent message to our legislators! Please sign!