Charter-school bill moving through Pa. legislature

December 9, 2013

Bill written by former Pa Republican candidate whose campaign was derailed by State GOP endorsement of establishment candidate, Corbett.

PHILADELPHIA -- The first major overhaul of Pennsylvania's charter-school law is making its way through the Legislature.

Lawmakers could act in the next few weeks on a bill that sponsors say includes urgently needed reforms, but critics warn it could speed the decline of traditional public schools, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

The law that established charter schools in Pennsylvania was enacted in 1997. There are about 176 charter schools operating in the state, more than half of them in Philadelphia. Nearly 120,000 students attend charters, which are taxpayer-funded but independently operated.

One part of the bill would reduce taxpayer funding for the state's 15 cyber charters, online schools that have been plagued by mismanagement and low test scores.

"Pennsylvania was on the leading edge of charter schools. Now, all these years later, other states have more modern laws," said Justin Quinn, spokesman for the bill's main sponsor, Republican state Sen. Lloyd Smucker of Lancaster County.

A provision would allow Pennsylvania's colleges and universities to open charter schools without approval from local school boards -- even though the districts would still be on the hook to contribute funding.

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