Lehighton Area School District joined many others across the state in supporting state House of Representatives and Senate bills that would change the way cyber and charter schools are funded in Pennsylvania.

The legislation requires that if a district offers its own online learning option, parents would have to pay tuition if their child opts for an outside cyber or charter school. The resolution in support of House Bill 526 and Senate Bill 34, passed by a 6-3 vote at Lehighton’s board meeting Monday night.

Director Joy Beers, who opposed the resolution along with David Bradley and Gail Maholick, said it takes away a student’s choice.

“A local district’s cyber option may not be the same as another cyber or charter school, and I don’t think the district should be making that choice for the family,” Beers said.

Supporters of the legislation in Lehighton, including board member Rita Spinelli, said students still have a choice to attend an outside cyber or charter school, it just comes down to who pays for it.

“Just like a student can opt to attend a private school and pay the tuition for that,” Spinelli said. “Nobody is taking that choice away.”

The district is in its seventh year of offering the Lehighton Area Virtual Academy, in partnership with the Carbon Lehigh Intermediate Unit #21, to try to keep students who choose the cyber school route local.

The tuition rate for a regular education student to attend a cyber/charter school is $11,583.87, while the rate for a special education student is $24,755.81.

According to Lehighton business administrator Patricia Denicola, the district pays a total of $1,083,184.41 for 81 students to attend outside cyber charter schools, and $57,919.35 for five students to attend brick-and-mortar charter schools.

Meanwhile, 39 students attend Lehighton’s Virtual Academy, which costs the district $279,762.30.