Please click on the link below for a clear explanation of how special education is funded at charter schools.

Special Education Funding Explained

Legislative Proposal

Governor Wolf has proposed comprehensive charter school reform legislation that would:

• Establish performance standards that hold charter schools accountable for the educational outcomes of students and a moratorium on new cyber charter schools.
• Cap student enrollment in low performing cyber charter schools until outcomes improve.
• Require charter management companies be subject to the Right to Know Act, State Ethics Act, and post employee salaries on PDE's website, similar to requirements already in place for public school districts.
• Create fair, predictable, and equitable funding for school districts, including in the areas of special education funding and cyber charter tuition payments.

Charter schools do not charge students tuition – they receive the majority of funding from their students' resident school districts. The amount a charter school receives is based upon a statutory funding formula, which requires tuition rates for both nonspecial and special education students.

For more information on charter school funding, review Section 1725-A of the Pennsylvania Public School Code.

For more information on charter school funding, review Section 1725-A of the Pennsylvania Public School Code.

Charter School Tuition Rates

Charter school tuition rates, also known as Selected Expenditures per Average Daily Membership, are calculated using form PDE-363, Funding for Charter Schools (Excel).

• 2020-21 rates based on PDE-363s received by PDE (Excel)
• 2019-20 rates based on PDE-363s received by PDE (Excel)
• 2018-19 rates based on PDE-363s received by PDE (Excel)

Source: PDE