The provision, offered as an amendment to the state school code, bars charter administrators from collecting multiple salaries from schools or from companies that provide services to charters. It was included in the omnibus education bill that accompanied the state's $28.3 billion budget and passed last week.
"Charter accountability is much lower than for school districts," Cooper said. "The Department of Education appropriately asked the legislature to respond to what was clearly an abuse because of a vacuum in the law. ..."
State education officials and charter representatives said they were unsure how many administrators could be affected by the salary proviso.
The change was written to prevent the multiple salaries that Gardiner and his successor, Kevin M. O'Shea, paid themselves with funds from Philadelphia Academy and related entities. Both men were fired by Philadelphia Academy's board in May.
The Inquirer reported in April that the Philadelphia School District's inspector general was investigating allegations of nepotism, financial mismanagement and conflicts of interest at the popular Northeast charter. The school, which opened in 1999, enrolls 1,200 students from kindergarten through 12th grade.
The salary provision was among several charter-related changes the legislature made to the school code, including prohibiting school districts from imposing caps on charter enrollment. Charter school proponents oppose such caps as impediments to growth.
The language restricting administrators' earnings applies not only to charter school CEOs but also to all employees "who by virtue of their positions exercise management or operational responsibilities."
