Isaac McKinnis, 6, gets help on his homework from his sister, Morgan, 14. The pair and their three siblings all attend classes through the Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School. Senate Bill 34 would allow school districts that run their own cyber programs to stop paying for students to attend another cyber charter school.

As school budget deadlines approach, administrators in Butler County districts bemoan payments to cyber charter schools and hope for legislative change.

Meanwhile, some Butler parents with children enrolled in cyber schools hope the state maintains its current arrangement.

The two biggest school districts in Butler County each have their own bone to pick with cyber charters.

At Seneca Valley, administrators argue that their own in-house cyber program is better, yet some of their dollars still flow outward to cyber charters.

Meanwhile, at Butler School District, administrators say big payments to private schools are exacerbating their money problems.

Looking to legislation

At their Monday meeting, Butler school directors rallied around a state Senate bill as a solution. Senate Bill 34, introduced by Berks County Democrat Judith Schwank, would allow school districts that run their own cyber programs to stop paying for students to attend another cyber charter school.

“The most impactful thing everyone in this room can do to impact taxes and or class sizes is knock on your state legislator's door and talk about State Senate Bill 34,” said Superintendent Brian White.

School directors in Butler brought up cyber charters when discussing budget line items.

“We have the money to get those extra teachers,” said director Gary Shingleton. “We do. But we don't, because 200 of our students leave and go to Pennsylvania Cyber School or somewhere else.”

Shingleton wasn't alone.

“The thing that upsets me a lot about these cyber schools is they have an advertising budget,” said director Suzie Bradrick. “Can you imagine seeing a commercial on TV for you to attend the Butler School District? I would choke you if we were spending money on TV ads.”

Naturally, SB 34 is about as unpopular with cyber charter schools as cyber charter schools are with the Butler School Board. PA Cyber CEO Brian Hayden said traditional public school officials misrepresent schools like his.

“Traditional school superintendents just like to put stuff out there without any understanding of what we do,” Hayden said.

Cyber complaints

PA Cyber is a big fish in the local cyber charter pond. Taxpayers within the Butler School District pay for 128 general education students and 35 special education students enrolled in PA Cyber classes. In the 2017-18 school year alone, the district paid PA Cyber $1.8 million. This amount does not include other cyber schools paid by the district. As of last month, the district already paid just PA Cyber $1.6 million this year.

Projections put next school year's price tag to all cyber charter schools like PA Cyber in the ballpark of about $3.7 million.

The school board and White are bothered by the specific rates paid to schools like PA Cyber, because they say cyber schools have much lower costs than brick and mortar operations.

“We're charging what state law permits us to charge,” Hayden countered. “It's not as though we randomly picked tuition rates. The Legislature picked it.”

This is an excerpt — Read the complete report in Thursday's print edition or subscribe online.

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2: Taylor McKinnis, 12, listens to a PA Cyber science class lesson. Tanner Cole/Butler Eagle

3: Caleb McKinnis, 8, uses a laptop to do his third grade PA Cyber coursework. Tanner Cole/Butler Eagle