New group with old connections applies for cyber charter

After rejecting all new cyber charter applications in the last three years, the Pennsylvania Department of Education received just one cyber proposal this fall.

And the founding group is led by a former board president of one of the state's 14 existing cyber schools.

David N. Taylor last month submitted the application for the Advance Cyber Charter School, an online school that would launch next fall with a focus on science, technology, engineering, and math.

Taylor, president of the Pennsylvania Manufacturers' Association, is a past board president of Commonwealth Connections Academy Charter School, a K-12 cyber based in Harrisburg that opened in 2002 and enrolls 8,800 students statewide.

Advance also would be based in Harrisburg, and its six-member board also includes Gail Hawkins-Bush, a veteran charter educator who is also a former member of Commonwealth Connections' board.

And, as with Commonwealth Connections, Advance plans to contract with Connections Academy of Pennsylvania L.L.C., for management, curriculum, technical support, and other services. The for-profit company is a subsidiary of Connections Education L.L.C., which is based in Baltimore and is involved with 30 public online schools in 26 states.

Connections Education is owned by Pearson P.L.C., a multinational corporation with headquarters in London.

Taylor said Connections was a respected, "world-class operation. They are cutting-edge, and having had the pleasure of working with these folks over the years, I wanted to be able to continue that in a new way."

He added, "Advance does offer something new and different, and I wanted to be helpful with that."

Through his experience with the manufacturers' organization, Taylor said, he has seen the need for more educational options to prepare students for 21st century jobs.

Taylor, who was one of the founding board members of Commonwealth Connections, said he left that board this year when his term ended.

He said he did not expect that the two cybers would have a relationship.

Commonwealth Connections paid out more than half of the $78.7 million it received in taxpayer funds - $44.4 million - to the company in Baltimore in the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2013, according to financial statements the cyber school filed with the state.

Advance said it could not estimate the total fees it would pay to Connections Academy for management and other services.

"The dollar value of the contract will vary, depending on the number of students enrolled in a given year," Taylor said in a letter to Education Department officials.

Some of the cyber applicants rejected in the last few years were turned down in part, the state said, because they had close ties with for-profit management companies, casting doubt as to whether they would operate as independent schools.

Last month, the proposed Insight PA Cyber Charter School went to Commonwealth Court to challenge the Charter Appeals Board's finding that K12 Inc. - its for-profit management partner - would effectively be running the school.

Advance said its agreement with the Baltimore firm makes clear that "the ultimate control of the cyber charter school lies with the board of trustees. . . ."

The state's cyber schools enroll more than 35,000 students. None of them met state benchmarks in 2013-14, the most recent year available.

In the last academic year, Commonwealth Connections students scored below statewide averages in reading, math, and science.

Taylor said that test results do not give a complete picture. He said families often turn to cybers when their children are falling behind academically in traditional schools, or are facing an emotional crisis or bullying.

On average, he said, cyber students need a year of remediation before their academic performance begins to accelerate.

Advance seeks to open for the 2016-17 academic year with 500 students and expects to grow to 4,500 in five years.

The cyber said it would offer students a range of scheduling options, including year-round and a traditional school year. Ninth through 12th graders also could select an accelerated pace that would allow them to graduate early.

The Education Department has scheduled a hearing on Advance's application for Nov. 2 in Harrisburg.

"We will have a responsibility to explain to the department the ways this will be different from existing opportunities for students," Taylor said. "I believe that our application is very solid and well-documented, and that we have answered potential questions."

martha.woodall@phillynews.com215-854-2789@marwooda