This was the second public hearing to let cyber school proponents and public school officials air their differences over who should pay for cyber students’ education.

For every student who attends a cyber charter school, his or her home district is required to pay the cyber charter school a per-student rate.

That rate is determined by how much the district spends on each of its own students.

The bill in question would transfer the funding responsibility to the state Department of Education, which would pay the cyber schools a flat rate based on enrollment.

School district officials argue cyber schools don’t have the same costs as brick-and-mortar schools, so it shouldn’t cost them as much to educate students.

But cyber schools provide each student with a free computer, home Internet access, books and curriculum materials, proponents say.

Those in support of cyber education fear the bill would kill cyber charters’ chance for survival.

Rapho Township Republican Tom Creighton, who attended the hearing, said the opinions expressed Tuesday echoed those aired during the first public hearing last January.

“It’s another rehash of what we heard last winter,” Creighton said. “It’s obvious we need to do a study so we have good information on how the money is being spent and where it’s being spent so we’re not arguing over misinformation.”

He said about 200 people turned out Tuesday for the hearing, including about 150 parents and students championing the cyber school cause.

Creighton said he likes the idea of the state taking over funding for cyber schools but doesn’t believe it should be on a sliding scale. Instead, he’d like to establish a state average cost per student and pay the cyber schools a percentage of that.

Rather than hold another public hearing, Creighton said he wants to form a study committee to evaluate exactly how cyber schools use their money. There is no monitoring system currently in place.

Creighton said those details are necessary to determine how much funding cyber schools really need.

“We were all hungry for some raw numbers and we didn’t get it,” he said.

More than 13,000 Pennsylvania students were enrolled in one of the state’s 12 cyber charter schools as of last year.

School officials say the cyber school budget item didn’t exist only a few years ago and its forced them to cut programs and raise taxes.

“It’s built into our expenses and part of what we base tax increases on,” Christopher Johnston, Penn Manor School District business manager, said in April. “It has been an additional cost we’ve had to accommodate.”

But Creighton said cyber schools are only exhausting two percent of most districts’ budgets. “I do see some disingenuous attitudes on the administration side,” he said. “They are blaming financial problems on a very small part of their school budget.”

The issue is contentious, but will most likely take a back seat during the campaign season, Creighton said.

With legislators in Harrisburg focused on November elections, he said he doesn’t expect a vote on the bill until next year.

“It’s a new technology and it’s going to have some rough edges until it’s worked out,” he said.