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Friday, October 25, 2002

By Jane Elizabeth, Post-Gazette Education Writer

Einstein Academy Charter School, already struggling with financial problems that have left staff members unpaid for months, will fight its latest setback -- the loss of the school's charter.

School officials say they will appeal the decision by the Morrisville Borough school board to revoke the cyber school's charter, according to parent coordinator Lynn Rodden of Springdale.

Barry Delit, head of Einstein's board of directors, and school solicitor William Huganir did not return phone calls or e-mail messages. No one answered the phone at the school offices, based in Morrisville, and e-mail messages were undelivered because e-mailboxes were full.

Rodden said the dwindling staff -- who have been paid only twice since July and then at only half their salaries -- have been swamped with keeping the school afloat.

"We're severely shortstaffed," said Rodden. The school still lists an enrollment of 662 students, with about 16 employees. Many of the students are from Western Pennsylvania school districts, said Rodden, but she didn't have exact statistics.

Cyber school students take courses at home using the Internet, and are taught by teachers through e-mail and occasionally by telephone.

Such schools have been controversial in Pennsylvania, primarily because several school districts were caught by surprise in the 2000-01 school year by cyber school tuition bills. Because charter schools are public schools, school districts must reimburse charters that enroll district students.

Districts around the state began withholding payments from the school, and several lawsuits were filed. Einstein officials then said they were unable to pay their bills. Several staff members left and enrollment dropped by about two-thirds.

Morrisville board members voted to revoke the school's charter Monday night, citing mismanagement of finances and failure to provide federally required special education services to students.

The state already is withholding state funds from Einstein after charging that the school wasn't properly handling special education. Under an agreement worked out earlier this year, the state is keeping the funds in an escrow account -- currently $2.4 million -- and will release the money when Einstein can prove that the school has provided services to special education students.

Because the cyber school operates statewide, Einstein also could ask another school district to issue a charter if the state upholds Morrisville's revocation.