The Pennsylvania auditor general is calling for reforms to finances at cyber charter schools.
Tim DeFoor released an audit of five different Pennsylvania cyber schools, and found that they increased revenue by $425 million over a three year period.
DeFoor said that his audit found charter school using funds on staff bonuses, gift cards, vehicle payments and more. While the payments were legal, DeFoor questions the excessive purchases for a school system.
“We found instances of the cyber charter schools legally using taxpayer dollars on things like staff bonuses, gift cards, vehicle payments and fuel stipends. Additionally, Commonwealth Charter Academy spent $196 million to purchase and/or renovate 21 buildings, which to us seems a bit out of the ordinary for a public school that is based in online instruction,” DeFoor said.
He’s urging a review on the funding formula and the creation of a task force to oversee the system.
