Jun 16, 2015 3 min read

Your June 7 op-ed, “Charter schools should keep track of their students,” touches on the valid point that newly introduced truancy legislation could improve a significant problem facing the education community at large. What is irresponsible, however, is your attempt to use it as a launching pad from which to tee off on public charter schools for a litany of non sequiturs, undocumented assertions, and misleading arguments that place the blame for “the woes that bedevil public education” at the feet of charter schools collectively.

You come out of the gates with a blatantly false statement about academic performance of charter schools, clearly having ignored the latest data. CREDO research and the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s latest School Performance Profiles show charter schools perform significantly better than the district schools from which they draw their students.

Regrettably, you then go to great lengths to explain that the legislation has nothing to do with child abuse. If it has nothing to do with child abuse, then don’t mention it. Child abuse is a serious subject. It is not a pawn in any debate.

Ostensibly, the issue here is truancy. We agree that charter schools should have direct responsibility for keeping track of our students. The readers of the Observer-Reporter should know that Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School has a solid attendance policy in place, and supports strong standards.

You incorrectly suggested to your readers that, because we have concerns about the costs of implementation, the charter community opposes the measure. As good stewards of taxpayer dollars, we always question costs. We always question costs because we are seemingly perpetually on the funding chopping block, as we are this year again. We always question costs, because we receive 20 percent to 30 percent less money than school districts do to educate students.

All the while, and counter to your assertions, we face the same accountability measures as traditional public schools – and more – including state testing, audits, and site visits. The Pennsylvania Department of Education routinely monitors our progress and performance. Meanwhile, we continue to advocate for stricter accountability and transparency measures in Harrisburg, as we have for the past several legislative cycles.

You have the right to your own opinion, just not the right to your own facts. I hope to have set most of them straight. Perhaps the next time the matter arises, you will do your due diligence before passing judgment.

Michael J. Conti

Midland

Conti is the CEO of the Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School.