Press Release
PA House Democrats Threaten Thousands of Cyber Charter Students with New Bill
Harrisburg, Pa., June 3, 2025 — This week, Pennsylvania House Democrats passed House Bill (HB) 1500, which would slash funding for cyber school students, out of the Education Committee.
Public cyber charter schools educate more than 64,000 students across the commonwealth. For many families, especially in rural regions of the state, cyber charters offer the most accessible alternative for their children. Despite this, House Democrats continue to villainize cyber charter schools and financially restrain students from alternative options that better fit their academic needs.
Even Democrats on the Education Committee admitted that the $8,000-per-student cap, proposed by Gov. Josh Shapiro and included in HB 1500, is an unserious, arbitrary number, not intended to be part of a final product.
The latest data from the Pennsylvania Department of Education found that public schools receive an average of $23,000 per student. Yet, student achievement remains stagnant, with more than two-thirds of students unable to read or perform math at grade level. In recent years, Pennsylvania’s graduating classes have seen a decline in college readiness, ranking the state 30th in the nation.
Amid an academic crisis within the state, it is foolish to cut resources from children who need a better education than what their district school can offer.
The Commonwealth Foundation urges House Democrats to stop treating students exercising educational choice as second-class citizens and focus on solutions that will give all students access to a quality education, including Lifeline Scholarships, also known as the Pennsylvania Award for Student Success.
Andrew Lewis, President and CEO of the Commonwealth Foundation, issued the following statement:
“Sadly, House Democrats’ radical cuts to public cyber schools—on legislation hastily introduced and rammed through—promote misinformation, support special interests, and neglect real solutions for our kids.
“Instead of confronting the troubling decline in public school outcomes—despite ever-increasing funding—House Democrats have chosen to target cyber charter schools, ignoring the families who rely on them. Pennsylvania’s most vulnerable students deserve more opportunities, not fewer. If lawmakers truly prioritized kids over special interest politics, they’d expand access to high-quality educational options across the board.
“How many more children must be denied a quality education before House Democrats come to the table to work in a bipartisan way to put students first and empower parents?”
Rachel Langan, senior education policy analyst for the Commonwealth Foundation, continued:
“Pennsylvania education is in crisis mode. We spend nearly $39 billion on traditional district education, yet our children aren’t learning. Story after story, we hear of students graduating from public schools without the core skills needed to function in society.
“Cyber charter schools provide flexible, autonomous, and innovative classroom instruction that is vital to tens of thousands of our state’s students. Depriving kids of access to cyber charter schools is appalling.
“House Democrats must halt consideration of this disastrous bill. All children in Pennsylvania deserve access to the school that best meets their needs. This legislation will harm Pennsylvania for generations to come.”
Learn more about HB 1500 here.
Commonwealth Foundation experts are available for comment. For media inquiries, please contact Giana DePaul at gmd@commonwealthfoundation.org or (215) 859-0384.
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