There’s a looming financial crisis for public schools trying to meet payments for students moving to charter schools, writes Maddie Hanna for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

School districts pay charters based on enrollment.

Public school superintendents, including ones from Delaware, Chester, Montgomery, and Bucks counties, are trying to convince Pennsylvania legislators to change how charter schools are funded.

Otherwise, public school programs will be cut and taxpayer costs will rise, they said.

“We don’t want to be in a situation again where we’re looking to make sacrifices with our music, art, theater programs,” said Upper Darby Superintendent Dan McGarry.

Upper Darby expects $11 million in charter costs next year, a 16 percent increase.

Charter advocates say their enrollment has gone up because parents like the experience their children receive.

But the main concern is the imbalance in costs.

It cost the West Chester Area School District $10.8 million, $6,400 per student, to set up a cyber school during the pandemic.

It would have cost as much as $33 million to send those students to a cyber charter school.

The superintendents back Gov. Tom Wolf’s proposal to set a statewide tuition rate for cyber charter schools.

Read more about charter school concerns in The Philadelphia Inquirer.