Cyber charter school students will soon be able to leave their computer and go to a dedicated space for club meetings, science experiments and tutoring.
Commonwealth Connections Academy, which has 245 students in Lackawanna County, has purchased the former Petco building on Business Route 6 in Dickson City for $1.3 million.
Officials from the school, which is funded with taxpayer money, plan a major overhaul of the building and to increase the number of local employees from about a dozen to as many as 100 people.
"When we saw that site, we thought it was perfect," said Reese Flurie, Ed.D., the school's CEO. "I think it's going to be really nice."
The plan, which includes a full cyber curriculum as well as a physical location for students to interact with peers and teachers, is the first of its kind for a cyber charter school in Northeast Pennsylvania.
In the often stressed relationship between charter schools and public districts, the school's new presence will increase its visibility - and competition for the region's students.
Commonwealth Connections has 963 students in Lackawanna, Luzerne, Monroe, Pike, Susquehanna, Wayne and Wyoming counties. Hundreds more students attend other cyber charter schools, and the number grows each year.
The state first approved creation of cyber charters in 1997. The schools are free for families and provide laptops, textbooks and other necessary materials.
Area superintendents have lamented the financial loss caused by cyber charter schools. When students opt to enroll in a charter school, the funding allotment the district receives from the state for those students goes to the charter school. Two years ago, Gov. Tom Corbett eliminated the 30 percent of charter funding returned to districts. Public school educators have pushed for a change for the funding formula for cyber charters. The amount each school district pays varies, even for the same charter school.
To try to save money, many area districts have opted to start their own cyber programs or offer an online program through the Northeastern Educational Intermediate Unit.
Expanding options
Commonwealth Connections first opened an office in Lackawanna County two years ago, in a small storefront next to Starbucks and adjacent to Target in Dickson City. In its first year being open, enrollment grew from 300 to 700 students in the region.
With the new visibility, Dr. Flurie expects it to grow even more.
The size of the small office has limited the amount of interaction students have with each other and teachers. The teaching center will be modeled after several Commonwealth Connections already operates, including ones near Harrisburg and Philadelphia.
Between 70 and 100 people are expected to work in the Dickson City office, and the school will be hiring teachers and support, administrative and clerical staff.
With an anticipated opening at the start of the 2014-15 school year, the center will feature meeting spaces for families and students and space for tutoring and interactive workshops, including science classes. The design process will soon be under way, Dr. Flurie said.
"Kids still want to identify with their school," he said. "Families will see a presence here, instead of just being online."
Increased competition
Commonwealth Connections' current office and the former Petco building are both located in the Mid Valley School District.
Sixteen students from the district now attend the charter school.
Superintendent Randy Parry called the charter's expansion an example of times changing in education.
"We're going to have to offer a product that competes with that," he said. "Our schools are going to have to get creative."
When Commonwealth opened its office next to Starbucks, the district started to advertise student accomplishments and district offerings on a nearby billboard. Budget cuts forced the district to eliminate the advertising last year.
"I believe public schools can compete," Mr. Parry said. "They just need to get the message out there."
The Scranton School District has 82 students now attending Commonwealth Connections.
"I think it's nice they can afford to offer tutoring programs, because we can't," Superintendent William King said, lamenting the current funding formula and the loss in state funding for tutoring.
Scranton, along with Mid Valley, offer VLINC, or Virtually Linking Instruction and Curriculum, though the NEIU. Scranton is now looking at expanding in-house cyber options, including a hybrid program that Mr. King hopes would keep students in the district.
Dr. Flurie said Commonwealth Connections expanding its presence will increase competition.
"It's good for all of us," he said.
Contact the writer: shofius@timesshamrock.com, @hofiushallTT on Twitter