Woodland Progress (PA) - Cyber Charter Schools Provide Opportunities

Sept. 26, 2007 - Because of a disease attacking his spine, Anthony Mazzarini walks with his legs bent slightly inward. It was enough to get him spit on, thrown in lockers and insulted almost every day in public school.

Renard Smith of the North Side couldn't walk the three blocks to his home from school without the fear of getting his shoes stolen.

Katie Sprague of Fox Chapel had a hard time focusing in class with the many social and ancillary distractions.

Each of these students weren't performing to their academic potential in their home districts for reasons that had nothing to do with academics. Now, through cyber school, they say they get an education that doesn't include distractions.

Pennsylvania has 11 cyber charter schools with more than 20,000 students enrolled. And all those students need their tuition paid -- an issue that's gained critics on school boards, at the state level and in the Legislature.

Cyber charter schools have existed in Pennsylvania for nearly seven years though the call for change in funding has just recently garnered attention after school directors across the state began publicly bemoaning the process.

Critics say the schools need oversight similar to traditional "bricks and mortar" public schools, particularly, as fewer than half last year met required progress under No Child Left Behind Act.

"This has been an issue for a while -- it's just reaching a breaking point," said Michael Race, deputy press secretary for the state Department of Education in Harrisburg. "It's time to do something about this.

Critics also have lined up to attack the performance of cyber charter schools.  Last year, just three of 11 online schools made Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) under the No Child Left Behind Act, the federal measure that holds districts accountable for student achievement. Seventy-four percent of Pennsylvania public schools met the state standard Public schools pay for all their students enrolled in cyber charter school -- ranging from $5,000 to $13,000 per student in 2005-06. The figure represents about 75 percent of what the district receives in property taxes and state funding for that student. last year. 

The Cost

Many public school representatives see this amount as exorbitant, as cyber schools don't incur costs associated with maintaining buildings, grounds and utilities.

The Commonwealth reimburses school districts for about 25 percent of charter school payments.

The problem with their tuition arises when charter schools build up unreserved fund balances higher than what public schools are legally permitted to have, according to critics. The fund balances of the Commonwealth's public school districts are limited to between 8 and 12 percent of budgets, but no such restriction exists on charter schools.

Five of the 11 cyber charter schools have unreserved fund balances of more than 30 percent of budget, according to the state Department of Education.

A handful of lawmakers and other state officials have been offering solutions. Education Department officials are supporting legislation that would implement a $5,800 across-the-board tuition rate cap, an idea that also has garnered support from Pennsylvania School Boards Association representatives.

Rep. Karen Beyer's (R-131) House Bill 446 provides for greater financial accountability, specifically for restrictions on cyber schools' unreserved fund balances, independent auditing and a budgeting timeline similar to that of public school districts.

"If the costs were assumed 100 percent by the state, the issue would disappear off our radar screen," said Tim Allwein, PSBA assistant executive director, adding that he doesn't think that will come to fruition. "What we're hoping for is some kind of change that will take some of the (financial) pressure off school districts."

Allwein said the $5,800 cap was suggested because officials didn't realistically foresee the state paying for all the costs.

The state Department of Education also is a fan of the bill.

"Traditional schools have costs cyber charter schools do not with the upkeep of buildings, maintenance and utilities," Race said.  "Cyber charter schools are getting much more than they need to educate students. They're amassing a nest egg and that's not an appropriate use of taxpayer money."

While cyber school educators say the flat-rate funding would render them inoperable, state officials say they're not looking to bankrupt the online schools.

"We'll look a the costs and try to find a good middle ground," Race said. "We want a fair rate that's not excessive. We're not going to negotiate paying them less than what they do. We'll determine a reasonable cost for educating a cyber student and make it more accurate."

Education officials also are pushing for more accountability regarding the quality of education from cyber schools.

"If a school is paying $750,000 to send students to cyber schools and someone came to the board and asked to know if they were getting an adequate education, the board wouldn't be able to answer that," Allwein said.

"I'd want to see something that said in 2007, XYZ spent this much to attend and a general report on how they're doing -- what are their strengths and weaknesses. Something very general in nature, just so we can make some indication that they're spending these dollars and here's what they're getting for it."

But some parents whose children attend cyber school see results, even if the public schools don't.

In seventh grade, Anthony was just starting to learn beginning sixth grade math. Now, in his third year of cyber school, the sophomore is in age-appropriate math classes, taking Algebra I this year.

By the time he enrolled in PA Cyber, Renard had been falling behind in classes his junior year. After one year with the cyber school, he made up his 11th grade work and got on track as a senior, then graduated on time.

Since enrolling in cyber school, Katie's academic performance in most classes jumped two letter grades -- she is now an "A" student, said Mary Jo, her mother.

State officials want changes implemented by the 2008-09 school year. 

The Advocates

Perhaps the most public attack on cyber schools is on its biggest local supporter, Nick Trombetta.

The former Midland School District superintendent who founded Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School, then later built its affiliate, Lincoln Park Performing Arts Center in Midland for $23.5 million, was under investigation by a grand jury into alleged financial discrepancies in his empire earlier this year (an issue he's not permitted to comment on). He's also been sued by a former contracted management service provider.

Last year, his cyber school had 6,200 students. Almost 8,100 have enrolled for the upcoming school year.

Trombetta started his school in 2000 with seven employees. PA Cyber now has a staff of about 800, with no teachers union, offices in several locations around the state as well as 14 buildings in the once-sleepy town of Midland, Beaver County.

"I never predicted this," he said. "We've found ourselves, purely by accident, as the leader in the nation. One in three choose us. Even our opponents can't ignore the success.

"Why are they choosing us? If Rep. Karen Beyer would ask that question, I'd tell her it's because of dissatisfaction and fear. But she's never asked me that question."

Should Bill 446 pass, Trombetta predicts unemployment, discontinued services and a significant drop in the quality of education for cyber schools.

"It would remove Pennsyl-vania from being the leader of online instruction," he said.

When it comes to accountability, Trombetta, whose school did make AYP in 2006-07 but did not in 2005-06, points to the fact that many cyber students are children who were not successful in public schools.

"If they stay with us for one year, they see marked improvement in reading and math," he said. "But we're playing catch up."

The former superintendent also sees flaws in the progress marker.

"There's not a superintendent who won't tell you AYP should not be the only indication of academic performance," he said. "I've seen a number of games the big cities play to make AYP. You can't do that in PA Cyber School. We're one school."

Trombetta attributes much of the negative attention surrounding cyber school to the idea that anything new attracts controversy.

"The system has been unchanged and unchallenged," he said. "We're getting the wrath of those who have benefited from the system."

PA Cyber parents stay connected to one another through Family Link, an online network of parents and guardians sharing concerns, support and success stories. Families like these are quick to defend cyber school when its funding and accountability are attacked.

"It's like a 500-pound man standing behind a curtain saying, 'Look at how fat that 300 pound man is,'" said Pete Mazzarini, whose son, Anthony, attends PA Cyber Charter School over his home district, Bethel Park.

"The truth is, schools spend too much money. For public schools to look at cyber school and say they spend too much money is misdirecting the focus."

Joyce Baskins of Observa-tory Hill, a founding member of Northside Urban Pathways Charter School, is used to such criticism, but it still bothers her. Her grandson, Renard, attended PA Cyber.

"All kids are not round," she said. "They don't all fit into round holes. One system is not perfect for everybody. They can succeed in different venues."

Parents of cyber students and officials alike hope the constant scrutiny their schools are subjected to subsides once society becomes more accepting of the trend.

"We're pretty proud of what we've created," Trombetta said. "We've been a godsend to thousands of students in Pennsylvania. It hasn't gone without controversy.

"When you do what we did, at first you'll be ignored. Then you'll be ridiculed. Then you'll be sued. But it's a process of acceptance.

"I predict every school in Pennsylvania will have cyber school programs in the next two years."

Reasons for Cyber Charter

Children take cyber charter school classes for various reasons. Anthony Mazzarini and Katie Sprague are just two local students.

Anthony Mazzarini

Anthony Mazzarini, 14, who has spina bifida, was more than distracted while a student in Bethel Park School District -- he was scared.

"I hated every minute of it," he said. "It was the whole self-esteem thing. Every day was another day I could get picked on."

The pressure started affecting his grades, particularly in math. After years of butting heads with administrators about finding Anthony a tutor as well as the "racy" content of some the literature he was reading in English class (one video on Greek culture prompted Anthony to ask his parents, "What's a gay orgy?" over dinner), Pete and Kim Mazzarini knew they needed an alternative for their son.

PA Cyber Charter School sounded promising, but the concept was new and they had some apprehensions.

"You hear so many things about the social experience, that the kids are lacking social contact," Pete said. "We weren't sure how we'd deal with having him home all the time and needing more from us in the teacher spot. But very quickly we knew we'd made the right decision." Anthony set up his computers and books in a basement office. Within his first year in cyber school, he was getting math tutoring four times a week and was back on track for his age. With his headset so he can hear teachers and others in his online classroom, Anthony calls his new learning process "controlled fun." He is now on track as far as math is concerned.

"I can tell I'm doing better and trying," he said. "I know I can do it. I want to show the schools what cyber kids can do."

Katie Sprague

Freshman Katie Sprague of Fox Chapel had been homeschooled since third grade. Once she hit seventh grade, her mother, Mary Jo, a high school English teacher, enrolled her in PA Cyber School after learning about the one-on-one instruction available for her daughter. She also enjoyed the independence the online classes taught Katie.

"We treat it just like she's going to school," Mary Jo said. "Even though she's not leaving the house and even though she's in the living room. I can go and do errands and know she's getting her work done."

Every year, the family travels to Midland to meet Katie's new teachers. And as far as socializing, they make an effort to participate in clubs and field trips the cyber school offers them. And Katie gets involved on her own.

This year, she'll be helping handicapped children ride horses and training a service dog that will be used for therapy -- work that will help move her even closer to her aspirations of working with animals in her career.

The satisfied mother calls cyber school "the great equalizer." She's gone so far as to contact her local legislators about securing funding for the schools.

"Hopefully it will be fairly dealt with," she said. "It would be a huge detriment otherwise."