The PennZone

Gov. Tom Wolf today highlighted the pending implementation of charter-school regulations developed by the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) to increase transparency, equity, quality, and accountability in implementation of the Charter School Law (CSL).

"These regulations clearly define for the first time charter schools' responsibilities to the taxpayers who fund them," Governor Wolf said. "Parents and taxpayers have a right to know how charter schools used the nearly $3 billion in publicly paid tuition they received in the past school year. With the Legislature's failure to act on comprehensive reform, we were forced to take this path."

The regulations, which clarify several elements of the state CSL to align public charter school operations and oversight with that of traditional public schools, were approved in March by the Independent Regulatory Review Commission (IRRC) and will now be sent to the Legislative Reference Bureau (LRB) for publication in the Pennsylvania Bulletin.

The regulations:

• Provide clear application requirements for entities seeking to open a charter school, regional charter school, and cyber charter school;
• Ensure that all Pennsylvania students are able to access charter schools;
• Clarify the ethics requirements for charter and cyber charter school trustees;
• Require school districts and charter schools to follow the same fiscal management and auditing standards;
• Streamline the process for charter schools to request tuition payments from school districts and the state; and
• Provide a consistent, common-sense method for charter schools to meet the employee health care requirements in state law.

The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) began developing the regulations in August 2019. Nearly 2,000 comments from charter schools, school districts, professional organizations, lawmakers, and the public were considered as part of the process.

More on The PennZone

• Dominican Fashion Designer Raiza Bonaparte presents the Sovereign Despampanante Collection at the Library of Congress
• Roohid Parast on How AI Is Changing What Bench Scientists Can Do
• What Happens When Congress Says No? New Book Examines the Boland Amendments, Iran-Contra Affair & Jamaican Posse, as US Congress Debate Over Military
• Warm, Dry Summer Forecast Points to a Stronger Wasp and Yellowjacket Season Across the Pacific Northwest
• Qscription Technologies Appoints Anurag Velekkatt Sunil Kumar to Drive Enterprise Scale

Charter schools are public schools funded by taxpayers through school district and state funds. A school district must grant the school a charter before students from the school district may enroll in the charter school. The PDE authorizes cyber charter schools since they serve the entire state.

There were 179 charter schools and cyber charter schools operating in Pennsylvania during the 2021-22 school year. All 67 counties in Pennsylvania have students enrolled in some form of charter school.

Since taking office, Governor Wolf has been committed to addressing the state's broken Charter School Law, which is regarded as the worst in the country. The Wolf Administration's plan to fix the law protects students by holding low performing charter schools accountable, protects taxpayers by reining in skyrocketing charter school costs and improves the public trust by increasing transparency of for-profit companies that manage some charter schools.

For more information about Pennsylvania's education policies and programs, please visit the Department of Education's website.

More on The PennZone

• SafeBets Named Presenting Sponsor of IMCX 2026, Bringing Its No-Deposit Prediction Platform to the Creator Economy's Deal-Making Conference
• Turnstone Creative's Ashley Russo Serves as Emcee for United Way's 2026 NERC and Women's Summit
• A New Pulse for Cardiac Care in Baltimore: St. Elizabeth Rehab & Nursing Welcomes Dr. Hakim Uqdah and Expands Advanced Heart Program
• Lighthouse 153 Brings Fresh Seafood, Craft Beer, and Coastal Charm to Downtown Hanover This Summer
• Inframark–Slater Joint Venture Selected to Manage Fulton County Wastewater Operations

SHARE Email Facebook Twitter

Filed Under: Government, State

---

Show All News | Disclaimer | Report Violation