Cyber charter school tuition is one of the fastest growing expenses for school districts in Pennsylvania.

State law requires school districts to pay the cost of cyber charter tuition for parents who decide to send their kids to cyber charters.

For Panther Valley School District, that cost exceeds $1 million per year — a large amount for the cash-strapped district.

In an effort to cut down on that cost, the district is considering starting its own cyber school program.

The board heard Thursday night from Virtual Learning Network Partners, a group which helps districts set up their own cyber academies.

With four board members absent and one voting against, the board did not pass an agreement with the company. However, Superintendent Dennis Kergick said they would vote again in December.

VLN education consultant Jamie Marshall said the company offers access to a group of highly qualified teachers who provide better results than the big cyber charters operating in Pennsylvania.

“If we plan to bring students back from cyber charter schools, we darn well better teach them. And we do that, and the reason we do that is that you guys are going to be beholden to their test scores,” he said.

Under VLN’s model, Panther Valley would pay an annual fee of $18,750 for access to VLN’s network of educators and courses. Then it markets the service to parents who have sent their children to cyber charter schools.

If the district doesn’t save that much money in the first year, VLN will give it a second year free.

If just six students return from outside cyber charters, the district will be saving money. If the returning students have special needs, the district will save even more.

That’s because if a parent decides they want their child to attend a cyber charter like Commonwealth Connections Academy or Pa. Cyber Charter, state law requires their local school district to pay tuition.

Panther Valley spends about $3,346 per year per student who attends regular cyber charter school. If the student has an Individual Education Plan, meaning they have special needs, the cost to the district is $22,750.

Marshall said statewide about 2 percent of students attend cyber charters. In Panther Valley, the number is double. He said the goal is to get the district closer to the state average.

Part of the annual fee goes to help market Panther Valley’s cyber charter academy to parents who currently send their kids elsewhere. Cyber charters advertise heavily, and pay for it with tuition dollars that come from school districts.

“We will develop marketing plans for your virtual academy, because the cyber charters you are trying to compete with, they advertise like crazy,” Marshall said.

The program will also bring Panther Valley into compliance with state regulations regarding foreign language instruction. The district’s German language teaching position is open at this time, meaning they only offer Spanish as a foreign language. VLN offers six languages as well as American Sign Language.