CHERRY TWP — Moniteau’s school board approved a resolution denouncing misuse of taxpayer funds in cyber charter school systems and urging legislative reform.

The resolution, which was adopted at the board’s Monday, April 28 meeting, comes two months after a state audit found public funds, paid by school districts to charter academies, were being spent in a way the state auditor called flawed.

Michael Panza, the board’s president, said the resolution urges the state legislature to take action regarding funding misuse. Panza said the resolution would be presented to state Rep. Tim Bonner, R-17th, before a town hall he is holding on Thursday, May 1.

In February, state Auditor General Tim DeFoor announced the completion of an audit of five charter schools in Pennsylvania. The audit, which covers the fiscal years 2021 through 2023, found the five schools used loopholes in the charter school funding formula to increase revenues by $425 million and their reserves by 144%. They spent the money on items such as staff bonuses and gift cards.

One of the charter schools, Commonwealth Charter Academy, has a location in Cranberry Township.

In Pennsylvania, cyber charter schools are publicly funded. They’ve made over $1 billion in the 2024-25 academic year from per-student tuition payments from public school districts.

“We’re paying $1 billion this year on cyber education, and the resolution is to ask our legislators, state Rep. Bonner is doing a town hall meeting Thursday, and I plan to let him know, that four out of 10 students that go to cyber school never get a high school diploma. I mean, that’s ridiculous,” Panza said. “When you look at the math scores, 90% of their students are basic or below basic in math, of the schools that are listed on the Pennsylvania Department of Education website. So I’m fully in support in this.”

The resolution was signed off on by all of Moniteau’s nine board members — Panza, Kathy McBride, Travis Beachem, Janeen Beatty, Mark DeMatteis, Linda Dillaman, Brittney Larimore, Jennifer Rottman and Christopher Stamm — as well as superintendent Aubrie Schnelle.