An organization called Education Voters of Pennsylvania has published a series of articles and reports critical of the state Legislature's funding of charter schools in general and so-called cybercharter schools in particular.

Harrisburg-based Education Voters, funded by liberal groups linked to Arabella Advisors, has raised questions about how these alternatives to regular public schools spend and allocate taxpayer funds.

It's a "classic tactic" by union operatives to sway public opinion against charter schools, said Mike Watson, research director at Washington-based Capital Research Center, a conservative think tank that monitors nonprofits.

Informed citizens likely know that teachers unions opposing school choice have a vested interest in collecting dues from public school teachers, Watson told The Daily Signal.

But when the arguments of a teachers union are "put into the mouth" of a public policy outfit, Watson argues, even well-informed citizens may not see the machinations of special interests that seek to obscure their involvement.

In this case, that outfit is Arabella-funded Keystone Research Center, which is closely tied to Education Voters of Pennsylvania.

"The actual money is coming from liberal donors we don't know who see an opportunity to advance a progressive agenda in the state," Watson said.

Watson points to public records connecting seemingly small advocacy groups such as Education Voters with union benefactors and other large donors.

Besides being a consulting firm, Arabella Advisors oversees a philanthropic network of nonprofit funds that donate to progressive causes. As of 2020, these funds had revenues exceeding $1.7 billion and expenditures of $1.3 billion, according to Capital Research Center's Influence Watch. 

One of the most influential "dark money" organizations that shield donors, Arabella is known for financing "pop-up groups" that often have a website and little else.

Union-Funded Activism

Charter schools, which don't charge tuition, receive most of their funding from enrolled students' resident school districts. The amount is based on a state formula that accounts for both "special needs" students and "mainstream" students. 

Pennsylvania's charter school law dates to 1997. Over 160,000 students were enrolled in the state's charter schools for the 2021-22 year, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Education. 

Over the past few months, Education Voters of Pennsylvania targeted Commonwealth Charter Academy, or CCA, with negative reports based on the results of open records requests.

Also known as Education Voters of PA, the group has served as a conduit for donations to union-backed Keystone Research Center while criticizing Commonwealth Charter Academy, whose over 20,000 students make it the largest cybercharter in Pennsylvania.

Unlike conventional public schools, cybercharters deliver online instruction to students who use a computer at home to access lesson plans. The specialized schools use interactive technology and multimedia instead of in-person classroom instruction.

In one article, Susan Spicka, executive director of Education Voters, argues that CCA's spending on field trips and private activities amounts to a waste of taxpayer resources.

"It is unacceptable that while school districts are starving and property tax increases are squeezing home and business owners, cybercharter schools are so awash in excess money that they are using property tax dollars to pay for students' private activities and trips and giving cash payments to families," Spicka wrote.

CCA declined The Daily Signal's request for comment for this report.

Spicka told readers that Education Voters "is a small organization" and "the only organization in Pennsylvania working to expose the waste, fraud and abuse in the cybercharter sector."

But the money behind Spicka's nonprofit, nonpartisan organization suggests that Education Voters isn't so small. 

Left-Wing Backers

Education Voters of Pennsylvania identifies itself as a project of Keystone Research Center on the webpage where it solicits donations. Keystone is registered with the Pennsylvania State Department as a lobbying entity. 

The Daily Signal sought comment about Education Voters from the Pennsylvania State Department, but the agency didn't respond by publication time.

The most recent 990 tax form available for Keystone Research Center, dating to 2019, makes no mention of Education Voters of Pennsylvania or any group with a similar name. 

But Education Voters' donation page indicates that contributions are directed to Keystone. Capital Research Center's Influence Watch identifies Keystone as a "left-of-center policy organization" with revenue of  $1.8 million and assets of $1.4 million... Subscribe for free to Breaking Christian News here

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