HARRISBURG, Pa. - About 500 charter school families rallied at the State Capitol Monday. They're not happy with Governor Tom Wolf's plan to update charter school regulations.
Those plans include school districts limiting student enrollment at charter schools, and requiring charters to document costs to prevent school districts and taxpayers from being overcharged. Gov. Wolf says he wants to hold charter schools to the same standards as public schools.'
"They also need to take additional steps to hold traditional school district's accountable," said Ana Meyer, Pennsylvania Coalition of Public Charter Schools Executive Director.
Charter school families stopped by the governor's office to make sure he knows how they feel about his reform plans. They dropped off thousands of signed petitions and letters against the governor's plan, and also requested to be involved in the reform discussion.
"We're not going to resolve these issues unless we are able to be at the table and participate in the discussions," said Meyer. "Which we have not been involved with so far."
About 140,000 children, like Addisyn Dohm from York County attend charter schools in Pennsylvania.
"Children's needs are individual," said Nicole Wisor, Dohm's mother. "Every child's needs are different. No child is alike."
Wisor says traditional school did not work for her daughter, who missed 33 days during her first year of school because of learning and medical disabilities. Wisor, was at the capitol to fight to make sure every child, like her daughter, has the choice to learn and grow in the environment that works best for them.
"She's learning and thriving," said Wisor. "In the last year and a half, she's bumped up a grade level and we're only a year behind now."
