February 20, 2025

This morning, Auditor General Timothy DeFoor released a performance audit of Insight PA Cyber Charter School (Insight PA), which evaluated the time between July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2023. Insight PA, which serves 3,500 across the Commonwealth, is one of 14 public cyber charter

 schools operating in Pennsylvania. As a public school, the Auditor General has the authority to conduct routine audits, in addition to the independent audits that are conducted each year by Insight PA in compliance with Pennsylvania’s Charter School Law.

“The Auditor General’s audit report has confirmed what we already knew, that Insight PA is a good steward of taxpayer dollars,” Eileen Cannistraci, CEO for Insight PA, said. “I commend the Auditor General’s team for conducting a thorough and professional performance audit, and their collaborative approach to this process.”

A team from the Auditor General’s office spent almost a year collecting and analyzing data and information collected from the PA Department of Education and supplied by Insight PA. The audit report, released today, summarizes the auditors’ findings, offers recommendations to the school, and includes detailed responses from Insight PA to both the findings and recommendations. In addition, the report also included a recommendation that Governor Shapiro launch a task force, which includes representatives from the cyber charter community, to evaluate cyber charter funding and provide recommendations to the General Assembly.

“I agree with the Auditor General that any changes to the way public cyber charter schools are funded must be evaluated and reviewed in a comprehensive and collaborative fashion,” Cannistraci said. “Insight PA would be willing to participate in a task force or legislative commission to look at cyber charter funding holistically and objectively. We strongly oppose the current call for an arbitrary flat tuition rate for cyber charter schools that is not based on real data or input from the cyber charter sector.”  

The following are the key takeaways from Insight PA’s audit report: 

  • Insight PA had a significant increase in revenue between July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2023 due in part to dramatic increases in their enrollment during the COVID-19 pandemic and annual increases in funding for all public schools in the State Budget.
  • The auditors verified that “Insight correctly billed the sending districts accurate tuition rates for regular and special education students” during the audit period, even though many school districts do not submit the information needed to calculate tuition rates, defying PA’s Charter School Law.
  • The audit confirmed that Insight PA’s expenditures for Contracted Services, Enrichment Activities, Legal Services, Professional Development, and Multi-purpose Event Space were “reasonable” in our work to educate students.
  • The auditors found no fault in the advertising expenses incurred by Insight PA.
  • Insight PA’s fund balance increased during the audited period due to one-time federal COVID-19 recovery funds and increased revenue from tuition payments due to record enrollment gains.
  • The auditors questioned “the appropriateness and necessity of employee bonuses” given during the audit period, but failed to take into account the current teacher-shortage crisis that is impacting school districts and public charter schools in Pennsylvania.

Please note, Insight PA requested that the Auditor General release their performance audit as a separate report, just as school districts’ audits have been issued independently in the past. Unfortunately, that request was denied. Insight PA encourages readers of the audit report to look at each audit separately and avoid generalizing any findings to the entire cyber charter sector.

“This audit reflected a unique and challenging time for Insight PA, capturing the COVID-19 pandemic, the sudden spikes in cyber charter enrollment, years of recovering from learning-loss due to the pandemic, and a statewide shortage of highly qualified teachers,” Kevin Corcoran, Chief Finance Officer for Insight PA, said. “As evidenced by the cyber charter sector’s leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic, as they welcomed thousands of new students and offered assistance to school districts struggling with virtual learning, Insight PA has and always will prioritize the needs of students. We will continue to invest our resources in school personnel and programs that improve educational outcomes for every student.”

In their response to the Auditor General’s findings and recommendations (included in the report), Insight PA defended their use of employee bonuses to attract and retain certified teachers and high-quality staff post-pandemic. They noted an April 2024 report from Teach Plus Pennsylvania that showed a 70 percent decline in the number of new teacher certifications being issued in our state in the last decade. 

Financial incentives are one way for public schools to hire and keep the best teachers in the classroom. In fact, in the 2024-25 State Budget, the General Assembly and Gov. Shapiro appropriated about $500 million in new funding to school districts and one of the approved uses for these funds were “financial incentives to encourage professional staff members to work in schools” and “aid in the recruitment of certified teachers.”     

“I am proud of the Insight PA leadership team, board, and staff for always prioritizing accountability and transparency, which is reflected in the Auditor’s report,” Cannistraci said. “Insight PA will continue to utilize our financial resources to ensure we have high-quality educators in our classrooms, comprehensive support for our students, and a robust learning environment.”

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MEDIA CONTACT
Jessica Hickernell
Hickernell Consulting LLC
jessica@hickernellconsulting.com 


About Insight PA Cyber Charter School 

Insight PA is an online public school serving K-12 students across Pennsylvania. Our public education is taxpayer-funded. Families do not pay any tuition. We offer a personalized, accommodating learning experience that removes barriers to education and provides holistic support to all our students and families. At Insight PA, we celebrate and honor the diversity of our community. Insight PA students develop into strong problem solvers, critical thinkers, lifelong learners, and responsible citizens.