Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania charter schools hit hard in proposed funding formula
A bill altering the state’s public school funding formula passed the lower chamber Monday, spawning both fanfare and consternation among lawmakers.
While supporters call the plan a victory for students held back by economic disparities, critics point out that 64 of the bill’s 87 pages focus on cutting financial support and tightening regulations for charter schools to save money.
Dr. Anne Clark, CEO of the Pennsylvania Coalition for Public Charter Schools, scoffed at a provision that caps tuition paid by districts to $8,000 per student and stringent regulations that she deems misleading and unnecessary.
“Contrary to the blanket assertion that cyber charter schools operate at lower costs, these schools face unique and often higher expenses,” she said Monday. “Faculty salaries remain comparable to traditional schools, but cyber charters incur significant costs for technical infrastructure, cybersecurity, and individualized student support services.”
The cap would save schools a collective $530 million, which, according to the bill’s fiscal note, represents about 49% of districts’ reported tuition costs.
Tuition for online charters fluctuates between $9,000 and $23,000 per student. In 2023, 179 charter schools, 14 of which are exclusively online, served 164,000 students.
Clark said the proposal ignores the financial realities of running cyber charter schools, which are often respite for vulnerable students with medical conditions, special learning needs or bullying trauma.
“The long-term impact on Pennsylvania’s educational and economic future could be detrimental, as limiting school choice undermines efforts to create a diverse and dynamic educational ecosystem,” she said.
Many school board officials, however, say the cap updates the 27-year-old law that first established cyber charters, which costs districts $455 million each year in overpayments.
Kevin Busher, chief advocacy officer for the Pennsylvania School Boards Association, said during an April press conference that a funding imbalance for special education students – which often require less expensive learning supports than their brick-and-mortar counterparts –further exacerbates the issue.
“School boards are forced to choose between raising property taxes on their neighbors, cutting programs and services provided to their students, or postponing critical building, technology, or curriculum upgrades in order to pay their mandatory cyber charter tuition bills,” he said. “That’s just not fair to our taxpayers and to our students.”
The bill also limits fund balances charter schools can carry to shield against budget troubles and tax increases: a sliding scale of 8% to 12% depending on a school’s expenses.
No such restrictions exist for traditional schools, according to Elizabeth Stelle, director of policy analysis for the Commonwealth Foundation.
In an op-ed published Saturday, Stelle said some districts, including Highlands and Allegheny Valley in western Pennsylvania, have more than 50% saved.
The foundation says districts already subtract certain operational expenses from tuition upfront, like transportation and facilities maintenance, which realizes a 27% cost savings.
Pennsylvania police are searching for at least two masked suspects believed to have looted a Lululemon store overnight.
At least two masked men broke into a Lululemon in Ardmore, Pennsylvania, around 2 a.m. Tuesday, police told NBC 10 Philadelphia. Ardmore, a suburb of Philadelphia, is home to about 14,000 people.
The suspected thieves used a sledgehammer to break the glass on the store’s front door, according to police.
Once they gained access, the masked individuals grabbed handfuls of merchandise, security footage shows. The men went in and out of the store several times, grabbing handfuls of items that included coats, vests and shirts from the men’s section, police told local outlet WPVI.
“This is taking it to another level,” Lower Merion Police Superintendent Andy Block told WPVI.
The suspects then loaded the merchandise into a U-Haul truck. Their truck was last seen at the intersection of Bryn Mawr Avenue and Woodbine Avenue, just a few miles from the store, police said.
The entire incident lasted about five minutes, which Block said is longer than usual for this type of burglary.
“Usually, it is because in a smash-and-grab situation they want to get in and get out before they’re identified or anybody’s notified on it,” Block told CBS Philadelphia.
Block told WPVI the store is a popular target for robbers, given that many of its items cost more than $100. Now, he expects the alleged thieves have sold or exchanged the items.
“They’re using it on the market, maybe they’re exchanging it for drugs, or they’re selling it on the black market. It’s a highly sought-after item,” he told WPVI.
Even though police say Lululemon is a popular target, Lt. Michael Keenan of the Lower Merion Police Department still called the incident “out of character.”
“This is an out of character, out of type incident where we don’t normally see people smashing windows in the middle of the night. But, certainly this is something that is distinct,” Keenan told NBC 10 Philadelphia.
The store still opened Tuesday, with a banner covering the smashed glass on the door, according to Fox 29. Gina Picciano, a general manager at a restaurant across the street, said it was a frightening incident.
“I walked out here with my bartender and we looked, and it’s scary that it’s happening right across the way from us,” Picciano told Fox 29.
The same store was previously robbed in May 2024. Thieves stole more than $10,000 worth of merchandise during that incident, NBC 10 Philadelphia reports.
The Independent has contacted the Lower Merion Police Department and Lululemon for comment.
RADNOR TWP., Pa. (WPVI) — Three winning scratch-off tickets totaling $7.5 million were sold in Pennsylvania, lottery officials announced on Monday.
One winning “MONOPOLY Own It All” ticket worth $5 million was sold in Delaware County at the GIANT on the 500 block of East Lancaster Avenue. The grocery store will receive a $10,000 bonus for selling the winning ticket.
“MONOPOLY Own It All” is a $50 game that offers top prizes of $5 million.
In Erie County, a $1.5 million-winning “Cash Spectacular” scratch-off was purchased at a Sheetz on Perry Highway. “Cash Spectacular” is a $30 game that offers top prizes of $1.5 million.
And in Luzerne County, a $1 million-winning “Millionaire Loading” scratch-off was sold at Schiel’s Family Market in Wilkes-Barre. “Millionaire Loading” is a $20 game that offers top prizes of $1 million.
Scratch-off prizes expire one year from the game’s end-sale date posted at palottery.com.
Winners should immediately sign the back of their ticket and call the Pennsylvania Lottery at 1-800-692-7481.
Copyright © 2026 WPVI-TV. All Rights Reserved.
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