Dear Neighbor, 

The House had a break from session this week, so I was back in the district with my team attending community meetings, getting ready for next week’s session, and preparing for our upcoming Shred Event and Food Drive this Saturday, May 3 from 1 PM – 3 PM, at the Lionville Middle School. Shred events like this are a vital service for our community. With tax season behind us and spring cleaning underway, constituents appreciate these opportunities to securely dispose of and recycle their financial documents and other sensitive materials. I am excited to partner with the Chester County Food Bank for this joint event to help combat identity theft, encourage recycling, and boost donations to the food bank during this challenging time when donations are needed the most. 

House Education Committee Meetings on Cyber Charter Schools in PA 

Last Friday, the House Education Committee was in Lancaster for the first of three hearings in a statewide tour to discuss oversight and accountability in cyber charter schools. These hearings were scheduled following the recent release of a deeply concerning Auditor General report that found statewide charter schools have amassed huge reserves of taxpayer dollars, spending extravagantly on non-educational expenses such as gift cards, cash bonuses, and vehicle and fuel allowances for employees. According to the Auditor General’s report, Commonwealth Charter Academy, the state’s largest cyber charter operator, also spent $196 million in taxpayer dollars over a three-year period to purchase and renovate buildings, an expenditure that Auditor General Tim DeFoor noted, “seems a bit out of the ordinary for a public school that is based in online instruction.” (To put that amount in perspective, our 2024-2025 state budget includes a one-time allocation of $100 million total for facilities improvements, to be shared across all 500 school districts in the state.)  

While all of this spending is legal under Pennsylvania’s current charter school law, it raises obvious concerns over the use of taxpayer dollars while our public school districts across the state continue to struggle to provide basic necessities to provide a conducive educational environment. As Auditor General DeFoor noted, “These were taxpayer dollars…[a]nd cyber charter schools are able to do this legally because we have an old and outdated formula that really hasn't been changed since 2002.” 

During last Friday’s hearing, which focused on cyber charter student outcomes, I had the opportunity to question Dr. Reese Flurie, Chair of the PA Coalition of Public Charter Schools, about the discrepancies in charter tuition rates that place unfair and unequal burdens on taxpayers across the state, as well as marketing practices by Commonwealth Charter Academy and other cyber charters that raise questions as to whether cyber charters are targeting their marketing efforts to families in school districts that pay higher tuition reimbursement rates. 

In Pennsylvania, cyber charters serve students statewide, but cyber charter tuition rates are determined individually for each of the 500 school districts in Pennsylvania. This means that for students with the very same needs attending the very same cyber charter school, school districts pay drastically different tuitions – and this difference is exacerbated if we look at tuition rates for a special education student attending a cyber charter. 

The state reimburses public school districts for a portion of special education services based on a student’s level of need. A public school district receives less money for a student who needs, for example, speech therapy once a week, than they would receive for a student who needs a full-time one-on-one aide and multiple special education services and interventions every day. The special education charter tuition rate, however, uses one blended rate regardless of the level of need, and that rate is different for every school district in the state.  

To use local examples, if a student living within the Downingtown Area School District attends a cyber charter school and needs minimal special education services, such as speech therapy, DASD would need to send the cyber charter $31,432 in annual tuition. If that very same student moved to a new home within the Coatesville Area School District and continued to attend the same cyber charter school, CASD would need to pay the cyber charter school $60,980 in tuition. 

Both districts’ tuition payments to the cyber charter are significantly higher than both the actual cost to provide those services and the reimbursement the district would receive from the state for that student. Additionally, public school districts are required to spend special education funds on special education services, whereas charters and cyber charters have no such requirement. They can spend $7,000 on special education and the rest on marketing, employee perks, gift cards to families, or opulent buildings.    

I asked Dr. Flurie if a student from Coatesville would receive twice the services as a student from Downingtown, or if he could otherwise justify or defend the discrepancy in tuition rates. I should note that his response contains some inaccurate information and only serves to reinforce the need for charter and cyber charter funding reform.  
 
View an excerpt of our exchange here, or our full interaction here.   

Pennsylvania taxpayers sent more than $1.3 billion to cyber charter schools for the 2023-2024 school year, with little oversight into how much of that money is spent. I support proposals that would:

Set a standardized, statewide cyber charter tuition rate that more accurately reflects the significantly lower operating costs of providing a virtual education:  

• Tie cyber charter schools to the same tiered special education formula and special education requirements that traditional public schools are already held to

• Require cyber charter schools to meet the same standards of accountability, transparency, and fiscal responsibility as traditional public schools and  

• Ensure that taxpayer-funded tuition and special education tuition payments are used to provide instructional and special education services to students.

The legislative proposals described above would improve accountability and fiscal responsibility around the use of our public tax dollars. They would also protect students at charter and cyber charter schools by ensuring that taxpayer-funded tuition payments are spent on student services, not things like advertising campaigns or unexplained (but currently legal) payments to for-profit management companies.

I am grateful to Education Committee Chair Rep. Pete Schweyer and his team for organizing this series of hearings and to the testifiers for their time and their insights. I look forward to further discussion around this issue over the coming weeks.  

Iron Hill Brewery Wins at the World Beer Cup 

Prior to my time serving in the legislature, I built my career in hospitality marketing and spent a large part of my time at Iron Hill Brewery, where I did everything from traveling the region and nation at different beer festivals to running their loyalty program to serving on their leadership team. In fact, I credit my time at Iron Hill, the many great experiences, friendships, and the investment they made in me, for much of who I am today, and I carry their commitment to people-first leadership with me every day. While I am no longer in an official capacity with Iron Hill, I take pride in their successes as an alumna and as their state representative, with their headquarters located right here in Exton.

At this year’s World Beer Cup, held this week to celebrate the art and science of brewing, Iron Hill Brewery walked away with TWO AWARDS! They took home a Silver Award for their Berliner-Style Weisse, “East Side Gallery,” and a Bronze Award for their Belgian-Style Strong Blonde Ale, “The Cannibal.” The Cannibal is a perennial winner at beer competitions, but this year’s honor is especially meaningful.

Originally brewed for the West Chester Twilight Criterium, The Cannibal was created by Iron Hill’s Chris LaPierre (aka Lappy) to honor world-renowned cyclist, Eddy “The Cannibal” Merckx. Lappy was an avid cyclist and was known to ride his bicycle to work from Philly to West Chester when the weather permitted. Sadly, we unexpectedly lost Lappy last summer, just days before his 53rd birthday. Not only was Lappy a dear friend to me, but his lasting impact will be remembered by those in the beer and greater West Chester communities.

Congratulations to Iron Hill for their continued success! Lappy continues to make us proud, and his legacy lives on in the best possible way, Cheers! 

If you have questions or would like to provide feedback on any legislative or state-related issue, please contact our district office at repotten@pahouse.net.

2025 Property Tax/Rent Rebate Application Period NOW OPEN

The 2025 Property Tax/Rent Rebate Application Period is now open and accepting application for rebates on property taxes or rent paid in 2024.

Thanks to changes we made in 2023, more people are eligible, with income limits adjusted to keep pace with Social Security cost-of-living adjustments. The Property Tax/Rent Rebate program has made it easier for seniors in Chester County to stay in their homes and afford groceries, medicine, and so much more.

The Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program benefits eligible Pennsylvanians ages 65 and older, widows and widowers ages 50 and older, and people with disabilities age 18 and older.

Please call or stop by my office to find out if you’re eligible and get assistance applying for your rebate. We’d be glad to answer any questions and set up an appointment to help you complete your application online!

For those who prefer to file by mail, paper applications will be available in my office soon, and we will update here when they come in.