MIFFLINTOWN — Charter and cyber charter schools are privately managed public schools.

Pennsylvania law allows any student to apply to attend any charter or cyber charter school in the state. Those students’ home school districts are mandated by state law to pay tuition to the charter schools for those students.

That cost can certainly add up quickly, costing home school districts millions of dollars.

The Juniata County School is spending about $5.25 million in tuition annually, district business manager Rich Meily said. “We are budgeting $3 million for the upcoming year in charter school tuition. We are currently paying $10,433 per regular ed student and $27,3311 for students with an IEP (individual education plans).”

An IEP is developed for each public-school student who is eligible for special education. The IEP lays out the program of special education instruction, support and services that are needed.

The topic of charter schools has remained a hot topic in Juniata County, especially since the school board approved a $46.8 million budget on Thursday night that calls for a 6.6 percent tax increase for property owners.

Several directors believe charter school tuition payments are draining potential funding from the district and forcing them to compensate by increasing property taxes.

At a February meeting, directors received a document, produced by the Education Voters of Pennsylvania, from school administrators that stated the district paid charter schools more than $3.25 million for the 2021-22 school year.

For that same year, Pennsylvania taxpayers also spent more than $2.8 billion in tuition payments to charter schools, including more than $1 billion on cyber charter school tuition payments.

The handout reported that the state no longer provides a reimbursement to help districts pay for charter school tuition costs, so charter school tuition payments are funded primarily through property taxes.

The handout also highlighted “flawed calculations in Pennsylvania’s outdated charter school law mean that school districts often send charter schools more money than they need to educate children.”

Education Voters of Pennsylvania believes charter and cyber charter schools can spend funding as they see fit. They also have asked state lawmakers to match tuition payments more closely with what it actually costs cyber charter schools to educate students.

Directors in Juniata County believe updated regulations for charter school payments could save tax dollars for property owners and reduce potential tax increases.