It seems that while the legislature is trying to approve a budget in Harrisburg, school districts are busy using cyber schools as scapegoats for their financial issues.  It seems this time it is the St. Mary's School Board who is blaming cyber schools for "draining of funds due to the increase of students enrolling in cyberschools at the taxpayer expense."  I have included the complete article from the Leader-Vindicator for you below.

We have heard this from many school boards.  Our public cyber schools are not a drain on school district budgets but actually save districts money.  Our schools receive only 80% of what it costs to educate a student in their district. Plus the district receives an additional reimbursement of approximately 30%.  So how can cyber schools be a drain on budgets when they only cost the district 50% of what they are spending on their students?  

Our kids are not just a bottom line on a spreadsheet. They are not scapegoats for financially mismanaged school districts who do not think twice about spending millions of dollars on stadiums and pools, but have the gall to blame a handful of cyber students for a their budget shortfalls. 

Particularly disturbing is that our critics appear to not understand our schools or the parents ability to know what’s best for their children when they said,  "I'm asking parents that if their child asks to go to cyberschool that they get them out of bed and on the bus and we will do all we can to help them be successful". They also went on to say that our public cyber schools are an "easy out" for educating our children.

We cannot allow these types of gross misrepresentations to stand unchallenged! These unflattering and unfair portraits must be countered by the substance of what our children experience every day as public cyber school students.

If you live in the circulation area of the Leader-Vindicator, we need you to send a letter to the editor in response.  Let them know about the wonderful education your children are receiving in their public cyber school.  You can send your letters by emailing the editor at jwalzak@thecourierexpress.com  Please remember to keep your letter to less than 250 words and to include your contact information or they will not print your letter.

Thank you for helping to continue to dispel the myths surrounding our schools! 

Keep moving forward!

Cindy Strausburger

President

Cyber School Costs Questioned 

9/11/09  Leader-Vindicator

Enrollment in the St. Marys Area School District has fallen below 2,300 students.

During Monday's St. Marys Area School Board work session, Superintendent Anna Kearney said the district's third-day enrollment was 2,296, the first time it has ever fallen below 2,300.

The high school enrollment is 792, including students in alternative education.

In 2000 the district had 2,651 students, which means a decrease of 355 students in less than 10 years, she said, adding that the district will keep a close eye on the numbers to control classroom numbers and staffing.

Twenty-six St. Marys students will attend cyberschool this year, up from six in 2004-05. It cost the district $162,528 for cyber students last year.

The Pennsylvania School Board Association is supporting legislation that provides that if a district offers students in kindergarten through 12th grade an online curriculum, the students who enroll in any other cyberschool would do so at the parents' expense, not the district's.

"We have seen a draining of funds due to the increase of students enrolling in cyberschools at the taxpayers' expense," Keareny said.

The cost to educate a cyberstudent varies depending on whether the student is a regular education student or a special education student. It can cost up to $13,000 for a special education student.

"I'm asking parents that if their child asks to go to cyberschool that they get them out of bed and on the bus and we will do all we can to help them be successful," Kearney said. "Do not drain taxpayer funds to provide your student an easy out when they can get a good education at our building."