Which students will be casualties in this year’s budget?

Sharon Sedlar | June 23, 2026

Due to actions early last week, Harrisburg has shaken the trust and security of hundreds of thousands of families because of legislative maneuvering that happened behind closed doors and with almost no notice.

According to Pennsylvania State Representative Marc Anderson, “the bills were dropped on Sunday evening. Then, on Monday afternoon at 2 o’clock, we were told that we were going to have an Education Committee meeting. The other side of the aisle did not tell us what room the meeting was going to be in or what time the meeting was going to be until 5 minutes prior to the meeting start…”

Watch the full reel here: PA State Rep. Marc Anderson

It felt painfully similar to the recent cyber charter HB2602 hearing and vote, when many legislators commented that they were not “even going to speak” because they did not think the bill would be “a big deal.” Tell that to the 65,000 students whose education would be negatively affected by increased mandates, regulations, oversight, and decreased funding.

We don’t believe it’s a coincidence that legislation was revealed after children were out of school and families were settling into summer mode, perhaps even away on vacation; until families were distracted, unavailable, and unable to respond.

So here we go—it is up to YOU to contact your legislator. Find out where they stand on the collective education proposals from the House Education Committee. Do they support cutting brick-and-mortar charter school funding for more than 100,000 students (special education funding is being proposed to be cut, btw 😔), ripping away scholarships from low-income students and students attending low-achieving schools, and continuing to kneecap cyber charter education for the 65,000 students who depend on it?

It is bad enough that only a fraction of students who need a different education option can access one because of enrollment caps, scholarship lotteries, charter enrollment lotteries, and personal circumstances. But now some lawmakers are not only seeking to cut those options and force them out of existence—they are trying to push these students right back into the district system that has already failed many of them.

It is bad enough that students are tied to their assigned district by income and ZIP code, with no way out unless their family can afford an alternative or they happen to win a school or scholarship lottery.

How long will it be before these same legislators decide they want to see your homeschool child on camera every week, or require them to report to the district for a “well check”?

Every time I think about what is happening in Harrisburg, I am reminded of the Godzilla movies from my childhood. He stomps around without caring about what he crushes. He flings his adversaries this way and that, unconcerned about the buildings and people destroyed around him, because he is focused on the battle rather than the people being hurt under his feet.

This is exactly why families cannot afford to look away. When education decisions are made quietly, quickly, and without meaningful public input, real children pay the price. Every scholarship, every charter seat, every cyber option, and every homeschool freedom represents a student whose needs may not be met by a one-size-fits-all system. Parents deserve transparency, students deserve options, and lawmakers need to hear clearly that Pennsylvania families are watching.

So speak up!