Rowe right on effectiveness of cyber charter schools

To the Editor:

As recently as a couple years ago, I’d have laughed off Rep. David Rowe’s feelings toward HB1500, the bill that would gut the state’s cyber charter school system.

Today, I know he’s right on this one.

Don’t get me wrong — I believe, for the most part, public education serves our communities well. I also agree there’s room for reform for all forms of education, and the unfortunate problem preventing that is one political party seemingly beholden to union educators and another that wants more public funds steered toward religious schools (at least those with a religion they approve of).

The pandemic showed us two things about modern education: Different students are better served with different approaches to learning, and public schools, for the most part, really are not very good with nontraditional approaches to teaching, especially cyber schooling.

I would have been proud if my child had completed his education in the public school district where he started, the same of which I am a product. But there’s no lack of pride — and no shame — in his moving to Commonwealth Charter Academy to complete his studies. In fact, the competent and engaging approach CCA takes toward its students is the reason he’s a high school graduate.

Cyber charter education works for a lot of kids traditional brick and mortar schools are leaving behind. And if Rowe’s numbers are correct, they’re doing it for less — a LOT less.

Would the legislators who want to hamstring cyber charter budgets by leveling a tuition cap be willing to do the same for brick-and-mortar schools? I doubt it.

From what I understand, only those who supported HB1500 were invited to testify in Harrisburg before the bill was passed — apparently no one wants to hear what parents like me have to say because it challenges the belief that only traditional public schools are worthy.

As for The Sentinel’s own coverage, calling Education Voters of Pennsylvania a “watchdog group” is at best misleading — it’s an advocacy group that fights against cyber charter schools and school vouchers, and pretty much anything else that challenges the traditional public school orthodoxy. And the sources cited from the state school administrators group claiming a class status for a failing student seems more like something I’d expect to find on the road in Belleville — I’ve got a report card that proves it.

And Juniata County? Well, the state’s Independent Fiscal Office ranks the county’s tax burden as 64th among our 67 counties, and the census bureau shows its median income to be 15 spots higher — and lists the median value of an owner-occupant home in the county at more than $200,000. Meanwhile, the school district’s directors passed more than once on cost savings through subsidized solar power — look how much Mifflin County has saved that way — and not too many years ago had no issue punishing students and their families by defunding popular and beneficial extracurricular activities, which at best saved the district a pittance (and not surprisingly, the public was only too happy to see restored).

Perhaps a journalistic look at cyber charter success stories — and traditional schools’ own shortcomings — is in order.

Jeff Fishbein

Selinsgrove