As Chief Academic Officer (CAO), Francie Spigelmyer ensures that PA Cyber implements best practices in online education and meets the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s standards. PA Cyber, short for the Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School, educates more than 11,500 students in grades K-12 from most districts throughout the Commonwealth.
Francie, who holds a doctorate in instructional management and leadership, oversees thirteen departments that comprise the school’s academic staff.
“My greatest joy at PA Cyber is working with a very talented group of people who are clearly driven to commend and improve the teaching and learning environment for all students,” she says.
Prior to joining PA Cyber in 2018 as CAO, she held several positions at Butler County Community College (BCCC) over two decades, notably Vice President for Academic Affairs. In 2000, she was one of the original faculty members who created and taught the first online classes at BCCC.
Francie wanted to be a teacher since she was in third grade. “My friends in my neighborhood would avoid me at times because I always wanted to play school in the summer,” she says. In her early career she taught high school in Pennsylvania and New York, covering subjects such as history, civics, psychology, sociology, and English. “Education is and always will be a deep passion for me.”
She notes that PA Cyber is deeply rooted in resilience. “The 20-year ride as a cyber charter, however bumpy, has been and will continue to be successful since the teachers and staff are anchored with the formidable goal of student accomplishment.”
Francie Spigelmyer is a prime example of the drive that PA Cyber educators bring to making the classroom an enriching experience for its students.
To learn more about PA Cyber, visit pacyber.org.
PHOTO CAP: Francie Spigelmyer oversees several academic departments as PA Cyber’s Chief Academic Officer.