Agencies dispute report on flaws at Pa. charter schools

Two Pennsylvania charter school organizations on Tuesday criticized the Democratic chairman of the House Education Committee's report that catalogs instances of fraud and mismanagement at charter schools across the state.

State Rep. James R. Roebuck (D., Phila.), said his review of selected charters' operations supports the need for legislation he has introduced to reform the state's charter laws by strengthening oversight and accountability and reexamining how they are funded.

Pennsylvania Families for Public Cyber Schools said Roebuck presented a one-sided and unfair view of the state's 16 cyber charters, which provide online instruction to students in their homes.

"We are tired of our children being treated like second-class students," Monica Allison, president of the group, said in a statement.

"We don't see threats of funding cuts to traditional school districts even though they . . . continue to receive more funding and continue to fail their students," she said.

The Pennsylvania Coalition of Public Charter Schools said Roebuck's report "revives outdated, and long-resolved, matters; ignores the historical mismanagement of funds and lack of oversight in districts; and convicts people before any finding of fact."

The coalition said the report focused on "selectively chosen situations and facts that support a preconceived conclusion aligned with a political agenda, rather than serving as a balanced analysis of an important situation."

Pennsylvania's 157 charter schools and 16 cyber charters enroll more than 110,000 students.