| Type | Public (services available to any PA citizen) |
|---|---|
| Industry | Education |
| Founded | Norristown, PA |
| Headquarters | Pennsylvania |
| Employees | 210 |
| Website | www.pavcs.org |
The Pennsylvania Virtual Charter School (PAVCS) is a public virtual charter school. According to its website, PAVCS has roughly 4,000 enrolled students.[1] Cyber charter schools enroll mostly homeschooled students[2] and also children with special needs[3] teaching them remotely via computer.[4]
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PAVCS was approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) in 2001 and then renewed in 2005 for an additional five years.[1] Initially serving kindergarten through 2nd grade,[3] as of 2009[update], it serves kindergarten through 12th grade.[1]
Originally chartered by Norristown School District,[5] the Pennsylvania Department of Education now serves as PAVCS' charter authorizer and monitors PAVCS' compliance with the stipulations of its charter.[1] The school's current charter is for a period of five years from July 1, 2006 to June 30, 2011.[5]
The school is funded by state tax dollars. In 2007, the Pennsylvania state legislature passed a bill that caps the amount of money paid to cyber charter schools based on an average of such schools that achieved academic standards in 2006-2007.[2][4][6] Both sides of the controversy have paid hundreds of thousands of dollars lobbying for or against passage.[4] The Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA) retains about six lobbyists, each making between $90,000 and $160,000 a year, while school choice proponents have spent $250,000 lobbying against the bill.[4]
A spokesman for PAVCS said, "If we're not funded properly, and you take away our teachers, we're not going to be able to operate."[2]