The Charter Appeals Board and Why It Matters

“In Pennsylvania, school districts don’t have the final say over the fates of the charter schools that they are tasked with regulating.
That belongs instead to the Pennsylvania Charter Appeals Board — one of only two such boards in the nation, according to the National Association of Charter School Authorizers.
Created shortly after Pennsylvania passed its charter-school law in 1997, the appeals board has long been controversial for its ability to overturn decisions of the local school boards that regulate charter schools.
In addition to the secretary of education, Pennsylvania’s board is supposed to have six members appointed by the governor. But it currently only has five. And all are serving under expired terms — some since 2015. Gov. Tom Wolf, a Democrat now in his fifth year, hasn’t nominated anyone to the board. Every member was appointed by his Republican predecessor, Gov. Tom Corbett, whose administration was more supportive of charter schools.”*
“The board’s seats are reserved for specific roles: a higher education member, a certified public school teacher, a business representative, a parent of a school-aged child, a state Board of Education member, and a school board member.
The higher education seat is currently vacant. Several other members have ties to charter schools: Parent Lee Ann Munger’s children have attended Propel charters. Julie Cook teaches at Souderton Charter School Collaborative, which opened after the appeals board decided in its favor in 1999. The wife of Mitchell Yanyanin, the school board member on the panel, worked for Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School.”*
*excerpts are taken from the article written by the Philadelphia Inquirer, please click the link below to read the full article.
Who decides whether charter schools open in Pa.? Not just your local school district.
*Time is running out for Wolf to repopulate shorthanded charter school appeals board
“It’s common for members of appointed boards and commissions to stay on after their terms ends until a replacement is named. It also can take time for the executive branch to find and vet the right nominee for a vacant position. But education advocates say that Wolf’s failure to repopulate the charter appeals panel is unusual, given the board’s power to direct the flow of taxpayer resources and overturn decisions by locally elected school board directors.”
*excerpts are taken from the article written by the Pennsylvania Capital Star, please click the link below to read the full article.
*Time is running out for Wolf to repopulate shorthanded charter school appeals board
As of yesterday, all members previously appointed by Governor Corbett whose terms had expired are no longer listed on the PA Department of Education website