Pa.+Lawmakers+consider+charter+school+changes

=By Laura Olson= =//Published in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette//= =//8/25/11//= = = = = = = =HARRISBURG -- A proposal to update the state's rules for charter and cyber schools could bring more oversight to those institutions but also drew concerns during a hearing today.= =Among proposals to standardize applications, lift enrollment caps and disclose more school data, the measure from Senate Education Committee Chairman Jeff Piccola, R-Dauphin, would create an independent state commission to regulate and authorize charter schools.= =Currently, a local school board can accept or reject a proposed charter school, with an appeals process run through the state Department of Education. Agency officials said they support "streamlining" those charter applications through a state panel, while giving local boards the option of continuing to run that process.= =While some senators at today's hearing also said they support that change, Sen. Daylin Leach, D-Montgomery, questioned whether a state panel would take into consideration whether a district can afford to have a portion of its funding directed instead to the charter school. = =Pennsylvania currently has 159 "brick-and-mortar" charter schools and 13 cyber charter schools with more than 90,000 total students enrolled. Those alternative institutions receive funding from the local public school districts of their students.= = Noting this year's cuts to state basic K-12 education funding, a push for private school vouchers, and restrictions on when districts can raise property taxes, Mr. Leach said encouraging more charter school applications has been viewed by some of his local school boards as a "full-frontal attack" on their fiscal resources. = =A Department of Education deputy secretary and Mr. Piccola both defended the proposal as being in the best interest of students.= =More details in tomorrow's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.= =Read more: [] = = = = = =News= =home=