Loading chat...
PA HB1500
Bill
Status
6/4/2025
Primary Sponsor
Mary Isaacson
Click for details
AI Summary
-
Establishes a statewide cyber charter school tuition rate of $8,000 per non-special education student for 2025-2026, with annual adjustments thereafter based on the lesser of real estate tax collection changes or wage/employment cost index averages.
-
Creates a Cyber Charter School Funding and Policy Council with 6 members (4 legislators and 2 Department of Education officials) to develop funding and policy recommendations by April 1, 2026, which require General Assembly approval to take effect.
-
Imposes a 5-year moratorium (2025-2026 through 2029-2030) on the Department of Education reviewing or approving applications for new cyber charter schools.
-
Caps cyber charter school unassigned fund balances at 12% of total expenditures starting 2025-2026, requiring excess funds to be refunded pro rata to school districts that paid tuition; also requires a one-time payment to the Commonwealth by December 31, 2025 for existing fund balances exceeding 50% of expenditures.
-
Requires weekly wellness checks where each cyber charter student must be visibly seen and communicated with in real time by school staff, and restricts enrollment growth to 5% above the highest of the previous three years for schools designated for comprehensive support and improvement.
Legislative Description
In preliminary provisions, providing for Cyber Charter School Funding and Policy Council and furthe r providing for advertising and sponsorships; in pupils and attendance, further providing for exceptional children and education and training; in charter schools, further providing for definitions, for funding for cyber charter schools, for powers and duties of department and for assessment and evaluation, providing for fund balance limits, further providing for cyber charter school requirements and prohibitions, providing for cyber charter school fund balance accountability, further providing for establishment of cyber charter school, for cyber charter school application, for enrollment and notification, for enrollee wellness checks and for applicability of other provisions of this act and of other acts and regulations and providing for cyber charter school moratorium; and, in reimbursements by Commonwealth and between school districts, further providing for extraordinary special education program expenses.
Last Action
Referred to Education
6/6/2025