When Pennsylvanians pay their property taxes, most don’t imagine that their tax dollars will be paying for someone’s dinner at Dockside Willies, O'Reilly's Taproom, or the Lancaster Brewing Company. They most likely don’t think that they will be paying for tickets to the Moscow Ballet or the Erie Philharmonic. And they most certainly do not imagine that their tax dollars will be used to purchase a luxury vehicle or a platinum corporate partner membership to the Hill Society, where members, “Celebrate the good stuff. Wine. Food. Whiskey. Getaways and special events.”

However, an analysis of the check registers of Pennsylvania’s largest cyber charter conducted by Education Voters of PA shows that this is exactly how Commonwealth Charter Academy (CCA) has spent Pennsylvanians’ tax dollars. We found millions of dollars wasted on dining, entertainment, hotels, vehicle purchases, shopping expenditures and more.

This is wrong. Our taxes should NOT be a cyber charter school’s slush fund.

Tell PA lawmakers and Governor Shapiro to take immediate action to match the tuition sent to cyber charters with the actual cost of educating a student at home on a computer to end gross overpayments to cyber charters. Also tell them to take steps to ensure transparency and accountability for cyber charter school spending by immediately opening a forensic audit of Commonwealth Charter Academy to ensure that the school’s spending has been in compliance with state law.

Cyber charter schools are funded primarily by tuition payments from school districts for students who live within their boundaries. These payments total more than $1 billion each year and far exceed the cost of cyber charter schools educating students at home on a computer.

Lawmakers and Governor Shapiro must take immediate action to match cyber charter tuition payments with their costs and ensure that Pennsylvanians’ property taxes that are sent to cyber charters will be invested in educating students, not wasted on dining, entertainment, and whatever else they choose to treat themselves to on their dime.

Email your state lawmakers and Governor Shapiro today.