NEWS
We won the cyber charter case on appeal!
You may remember our blog post from February 14, 2024, titled, “We took a cyber charter to court, and won!” We detailed spending more than two years in court trying to get Commonwealth Charter Academy (CCA) to produce documents that they had been ordered by the...
What We Know: The Impacts Of Federal Funding Decisions On PA’s Education Landscape
As discussions around the future of the U.S. Department of Education continue to unfold, we know that many of you are watching these developments closely. While the situation remains fluid, we wanted to reach out with the latest information we have and what it could...
Key Findings From a New Audit of Five PA Cyber Charter Schools
A newly-released audit from Pennsylvania Auditor General Tim DeFoor’s office of five Pennsylvania cyber charter schools has confirmed what we’ve long known—Pennsylvania’s cyber charter school funding system is deeply flawed and in need of urgent reform. Under the...
Our deep dive into Gov. Shapiro’s proposed budget for education.
On February 4, 2025, Governor Shapiro gave his budget address and shared his 2025-26 state budget proposal, which demonstrates his strong commitment to supporting public education. The proposed new investments and efficiencies, if adopted as a package, will be a win...
Governor Shapiro’s Budget Proposal Demonstrates His Strong Commitment to Public Education !
The proposed new investments and efficiencies, if adopted as a package, will be a win for rural, urban, and suburban students and communities across the commonwealth HARRISBURG, PA (February 4, 2025) –Education Voters of PA, a statewide, nonprofit, nonpartisan policy...
Governor Shapiro’s Department of Education denies the new AI cyber charter school application!
Great news for public education in Pennsylvania—The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) has denied the application for Unbound Academic Institute PA Charter School, an AI-driven cyber charter school that sought approval to operate in the Commonwealth. Read the...
PA Needs A Moratorium On New Cyber Charters, Not An AI Cyber School!
Pennsylvania currently has 14 privately operated, publicly-funded cyber charter schools that any Pennsylvania student can attend. Tuition payments to these schools cost taxpayers more than $1 billion each year, Every cyber charter has been designated as needing...
Tuesday’s Election
As Pennsylvanians continue to process what Tuesday’s election will mean for our public schools and communities, our team is holding close the vulnerable students and their families who would be impacted by actions aimed at rescinding key civil rights protections in...
School Is Back In Session, and Advocacy Is In Full Swing Across The Commonwealth
School is back in session, and that means advocacy work is in full swing across the Commonwealth! As classrooms fill with eager students, we’re excited to see so many of you stepping up to support public education in your communities. The Ed Voters team has been hard...
A New School Year, An Election, And A Season Of Advocacy
As the summer sun sets and we transition into a new school year, we’re gearing up for an exciting and impactful season of advocacy. We recently wrapped up our annual in-person retreat with our partners in the PA Schools Work coalition, leaving with a strong plan to...
The good, the bad, and the ugly in the 2024-2025 state budget
On Thursday, July 11th, after a flurry of activity, the state budget and school code were passed by the PA House and Senate and signed into law by the governor. We are so proud of advocates’ work in every corner of the commonwealth that has contributed to this...
A cyber charter’s flagrant disregard for transparency
With the June 30th state budget deadline looming, negotiations in Harrisburg are heating up. Lawmakers return to the Capitol on Monday and are scheduled to be in session every day through June 30th. Advocates in every corner of the commonwealth have been working hard...
A Major Step Toward Constitutional Public School Funding in PA!!
Hooray! The PA House Passes HB 2370 We are thrilled that the Pennsylvania House has passed HB 2370, taking a crucial first step toward securing constitutional public school funding. This is a significant victory for education in our state. You can find a summary of...
Cyber charter waste and asset hoards are obscene. Tell state lawmakers to reform cyber charter school funding.
On Thursday, May 16, we issued a report detailing the egregious financial landscape of Pennsylvania's largest cyber charter schools. We have long made the case that Pennsylvania cyber charter schools are awash in excess funding that they waste. Our report shows that...
For Immediate Release: New Report Finds Staggering, Exponential Increase In Cyber Charter Asset Hoards From 2018-2022 and More Than $21 Million Spent On Advertising and Gift Cards In a Single Year
For Immediate Release Contact: Susan Spicka New Report Finds Staggering, Exponential Increase In Cyber Charter Asset Hoards From 2018-2022 and More Than $21 Million Spent On Advertising and Gift Cards In a Single Year Property taxes paid by home and business...
It was a BIG week in Harrisburg
A lot happened in Harrisburg this week. On Tuesday, the Senate Education Committee passed Senate Bill 795, a private school voucher bill that would provide cash handouts to families to pay for their children's private education. All Republicans on the committee...
A Big Week In Harrisburg!
A lot happened in Harrisburg this week. On Tuesday, May 7, the Senate Education Committee passed Senate Bill 795, a private school voucher bill that would provide cash handouts to families to pay for their children's private education. All Republicans on the...
New Report–PA’s Track Record on Private School Vouchers: Still no Accountability
Last week The Keystone Research Center issued an important and damning report focused on Pennsylvania’s Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) and Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit (OSTC) private school voucher programs. Click HERE to read Pennsylvania'sTrack...
Take Action Now: Help Us Pass Resolutions in Support of Constitutional Public School Funding
Public school students in Pennsylvania won a landmark victory in February of 2023 when Commonwealth Court handed down a decision declaring that our current system for funding public schools is unconstitutional. We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to build a...
RESPONSE to our letter to Auditor General DeFoor (again) requesting an audit of Commonwealth Charter Academy
UPDATE:On 4/4/2024 Auditor General DeFoor sent this letter to us. We look forward to the release of the CCA audit and will be looking specifically for information abou thow CCA has spent money on fleet vehicles, marketing staff, Family Fun Fests, food trucks, theme...