Pennsylvania’s State Auditor Jack Wagner has been a fiscal watchdog who serves the public interest.
He has repeatedly warned that the state’s multiplying cybercharters are claiming far more money than they need for the online instruction they offer.
Earlier this year, Wagner warned that the state was wasting $365 million a year on cybercharters and charters because of its funding formula. After all, a cybercharter does not have the costs of a brick and mortar school, yet gets full tuition for a child who sits home in front of a computer. In effect, the state is now funding home schooling, and the cyber corporation is the beneficiary.
In his latest audit, he finds that the state’s largest cybercharter has a surplus of $13 million and that it spend millions on advertising.
This is money taken from taxpayers to educate children, not to sit in the corporation’s bank account or to troll for more unwary students.
In a state where the extremist right has the upper hand, it is gratifying to see a conscientious public servant who is a steward of the public treasury.
It is sad that he is leaving public office.
We need more Jack Wagners, not just in Pennsylvania, but in every state.
We need people courageous enough to blow the whistle when the greedy are taking money that belongs to public education.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
The money that funds public education does not “belong” to public education; it belongs to the taxpayers. A parent may well think and decide that she would rather have her child safe at home taking a cyber course than thrown to the vagaries of the public schools. Nor do those students “belong” to the public schools; they belong to their parents and themselves.
I think what you mean to say is that the money collected from taxpayers belongs to the corporation that collects them by using the taxpayers’ dollars to advertise to collect even more.
Education funding is complicated. It differs from state to state. In my state, $4 Billion in tax funds is spent on public education. I don’t know if that’s low or high compared to other states. But I do know that education funding has gone up, but the results have not.
Public lands also provide funding for public education.
Yes, it’s true that K12 is a private company. They have an outstanding curriculum. Far, far superior to anything the public schools offer. It’s a world class private American school. I guess I’m advertizing for them and I’m doing it for free. Perhaps some PA charter schools mismanage funds, but the majority of these online charter schools manage well and have a good reputation within their states.
I don’t get what your problem is. If these schools are successful, then that ‘s a good thing. Isn’t that what we want, well-educated children–improving on the generations?
And if the schools are not successful, or if the students lose interest, why then, they will go back to conventional public schools.
Online schools have online teachers who are able to work at home and be with their kids. What’s not to like about that? They are teachers just like you. And most have taught in regular public schools before making the choice to teach for online schools. Are you trying to destroy their livlihoods by jumping at every chance to pound on these schools, which are successful for the most part?
Is your biggest problem that the teachers of online charter schools are not unionized?
There have been independent studies of K12 (see the one done earlier this year by the National Education Policy Center) that show their virtual schools have high attrition, low graduation rates, and low test scores.
Operated by K12, Inc., Idaho’s largest virtual charter school, the Idaho Virtual Academy, receives a transportation allowance from the state for each of its students, the same allowance provided to schools districts that actually transport students by bus to and from brick-and-mortar facilities, though of course the Idaho Virtual Academy provides no such service nor has any need to.
K12 also uses taxpayer funds for its NASCAR sponsorship.
How do you know that? It seems that Ravitch and most of the rest of you “respectable” teachers are delighted and pounce on any bit of negative news of K12 and online school in general (including online colleges). There are many more scandals at public schools that are ignored.
K12 also has private investors, Bill Gates is one of them. He’s all about innovation. The online charter schools in my state operate on much less than the district schools do. In fact, the districts in which the online charter students reside, take out a chunk of the funding meant for these students and keep it in the district, even though the district does nothing for these students. But that’s okay, that’s how it is.
Our legislature passed a bill that allows high school students to take 2 online classes. Some of the online classes are provided by public education. And some by K12. The teachers’ union raised a fuss, so it was added to the bill that K12 wouldn’t be paid for the courses until the end of the year, and only if the students pass those course satisfactorily. But the public education sources that provide the other courses will be paid up front, and whether student passes, or even completes the courses.
Harlanfalstaff said it very well and is completely correct. I have tried three of the four kinds of education available with my family: conventional public school, online charter school, and homeschool…still loving homeschool best, btw. cyber school is not the same as homeschool. They are 2 different things. the online school is still public school, beholden to the regulations, standardized tests, etc. But the curriculum is far superior to the local public school. And the kids are not in front of a computer the whole time. They read and write for at least half the time. The online teachers have been wonderful. And they go on field trips at least once a month. The only things that online charter school and homeschool has in comon is that the schooling is in a home environment and a parent is involved. But with homeschool, I’m completely responsible for the curriculum and we’re not beholden to Race to the Top, etc. or any standardized tests. We love it.
The main thing to remember is that parents are the key to their child’s education and we live in a country in which parents can choose what’s best for their families, though the teachers’ unions seem to disagree with that.
The main thing to remember is that parents are the key to their child’s education and we live in a country in which parents can choose what’s best for their families, (Yes and Yes)
though the teachers’ unions seem to disagree with that.(???- Do you really believe this?) Is it the unions or the politicians? What is the basis for this thought? If only unions had that much juice and power. I wouldn’t be on here, Diane wouldn’t need this blog, and many of the posters could devote their time towards other pursuits, and not spend time trying to save public education.
Just look up the NEA’s actual words about parents’ choice and you’ll see. The EA president in my state echoes the same sentiment that parents and elected legislators have no idea what’s best for their kids, and that raising children, grandchildren, and “teaching Sunday School” does not qualify them to know what’s best for their children. Then there’s Debbie Squires from Michigan who says the same thing. Diane Ravitch has echoed the same sentiments in one post, but later contradicted it in another post when she got a lot of upset parents commenting.
The teachers’ unions are big time against parents’ choice.
When will this ripoff of tax dollars end? Also, vagaries of public schools? hmm… what does he mean? Homeschooling should be illegal. Only qualified personnel should be able to teach children all day.
Homeschooling should be illegal, DeeDee? And how do we define “qualified personnel” then? Someone with an education degree? Phu-leeze.
But homeschooling is legal. Isn’t it great that we live in a country in which we are free to choose? Some parents believe that conventional public schools are best for their kids, some believe private schools are best and they sacrifice to send their kids to them, some like charter schools, some like the innovative online schools, and some like homeschools, etc. It’s all good. Live and let live.
My state’s laws are very homeschool friendly. The laws were passed unanimously because the statistics were obvious: homeschooled kids, overall, had superior test scores over public schooled kids. And the drop out rate in public school is 25%.
And who are you to say who is or isn’t qualified?
My childrens’ 4th friend came skipping to our house after her public school ended and said with a smile: “America started with the Pilgrims!” She gets about 5 history lessons for the whole year. My kids have gotten history lessons everyday from the online school and I’m giving them in-depth lessons on a weekly basis now.
I didn’t want to hurt her feelings, but ahem, what about Jamestown? St. Augustine? Um, what about the Revolutionary War? Her teacher has a Master’s Degree and has been teaching for years. But that really doesn’t mean anything does it? The schools have their curriculum and they can’t customize the education, and the teachers often do not specialize in what they teach.
I think that parents are very talented. And you have no idea what we are capable of.
Why is Ravitch so against corporations? Corporations are people. She is a teachers’ union appologist who tells them what they want to hear.
I think even less of unions since Sandy. Emergency crews from across the country went to help, but were sent away because they weren’t union. And the people suffered needlessly. Unions are not about common sense.
Unless you can provide documentation from credible sources proving that “emergency crews . . . were sent away because they weren’t union,” I would appreciate it if you would stop spreading this divisive and hateful misinformation. Please note that I am not requesting that you cite one or two isolated incidents, though any kind of documentation would be preferable to the unsubstantiated claims you’ve made. I am asking you to back up your general statement that strongly implies that ALL non-union volunteers were turned away. That is simply not true.
Diane, it looks like this post got flagged and infiltrated by K12, Inc’s social media army. It used to be that one could say a critical thing about K12, Inc anywhere on the web without ground forces being sent in wrangle public opinion in the comment threads. Apparently, the front has been expanded to critically discussing cyber charters in general.
To the inevitable exclamations of “I have a right to express my opinion!”….yes. Of course you do. I have a right to mine, too. Sometimes my opinion is critical of yours, and that’s OK. Isn’t freedom of expression fantastic?
It is very interesting to here people talk about choice…… The people that talk about the right to use tax payers money to do as they please…..l look a how much you pay in taxes for education, most likely it will be less than $500 a year…… So if you want to choose not to send your child to a traditional public school that’s fine with me take your $500 Ed. Tax refund and pay for you privit cyber virtual education…… But don’t claim the collective pool of tax payers money for your own personal uber privilege agenda………