In a statement released this week, school officials criticized the proposal, arguing that charter schools are already funded at lower levels than traditional public school districts despite serving the same population of public school students.
"It’s odd that charter public schools are treated differently and funded differently than traditional public schools, even though they both serve public school students," the statement said.
According to Gillingham Charter School, Pennsylvania's brick-and-mortar charter schools currently receive 20 to 30 percent less funding than traditional school districts and have not benefited from the millions of dollars in adequacy funding that have been directed to school districts since 2025.
School officials questioned why separate funding calculations are being proposed exclusively for charter schools.
"These new funding calculations for per-pupil spending are not being devised for the traditional public districts," the school said. "This is an equity issue, and it should be stopped."
House Bill 2634, introduced by members of the Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus, was recently approved by the House Education Committee. Supporters of the measure say it would reform and modernize Pennsylvania's charter school funding system.
However, charter school advocates argue the bill would further reduce funding available to brick-and-mortar and cyber charter schools and negatively impact the educational opportunities available to students and families who have chosen those schools.
Gillingham Charter School described the proposal as "unjust, unfair, and unequal" and called on supporters of school choice to speak out against the legislation.
"We are calling on all those who believe in justice for all to call their legislators to oppose the unjust, unfair, unequal House Bill 2634 (Charter School Funding Reform)," the statement concluded.
The legislation continues to move through the General Assembly and remains under consideration.