DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Cyber Charter School Application; Public Hearings [46 Pa.B. 6132]
[Saturday, October 1, 2016]The Department of Education (Department) has scheduled five dates for public hearings regarding cyber charter school applications that it received on or before October 3, 2016. The hearings will be held on October 25, 2016, November 1, 2016, November 8, 2016, and November 14, 2016, in Heritage Room A on the lobby level of 333 Market Street, Harrisburg, PA 17126, at 9 a.m. on each day. The hearings pertain to applicants seeking to operate a cyber charter school beginning in the 2017-2018 school year. The purpose of the hearings is to gather information from the applicants about the proposed cyber charter schools as well as receive comments from interested individuals regarding the applications. The names of the applicants, copies of the applications and a listing of the dates and times scheduled for the hearing on each application can be viewed on the Department's web site, after October 5, 2016, at www.education.pa.gov.
Individuals who wish to provide comments on an application during the hearing must provide a copy of their written comments to the Department and the applicant on or before October 20, 2016. Comments provided by this deadline and presented at the hearing will become part of the certified record. Failure to comply with this deadline will preclude the individual from providing comments at the hearings. Verbal comments may be limited based on the number of individuals requesting time to provide comments and may be limited if the comments are duplicative or repetitive of another individual's comments. Persons who are unable to attend the hearing may also provide the Department and the applicant with written comments on or before October 20, 2016. Any written comments provided to the Department by this deadline will also become part of the certified record.
During the public hearing on an application, the cyber charter applicant will have 30 minutes to present information about the proposed cyber charter school. Each hearing will be conducted by the panel of individuals who have completed an initial review of the application. The panel members may question the applicant on issues identified during their review, as well as issues raised in the written comments filed by the deadline. Panel members may also question individuals who offer verbal comments. Commentators will not be permitted to question either the applicant or the panel members.
Comments should be addressed to Steve Carney, Charter Schools Office, 333 Market Street, 10th Floor, Harrisburg, PA 17126-0333. Hearing agendas will be prepared after October 20, 2016, when the Department is aware of the number of individuals who wish to provide verbal comments at each hearing. The hearing agenda will provide the order of presentation, as well as specify the amount of time allotted to each commentator. Hearing agendas will be posted under Charter School Applications on the Department's web site at http://www.education.pa.gov/K-12/Charter%20Schools/Pages/Charter-Applications.aspx.
For questions regarding these hearings, contact Steve Carney, (717) 787-9744, charterschools@pa.gov.
PEDRO A. RIVERA,
Secretary[Pa.B. Doc. No. 16-1679. Filed for public inspection September 30, 2016, 9:00 a.m.]
