Education category, Page 13
Podcast: Inside the Penn State closure decision
Penn State’s Board of Trustees voted to close seven of the twelve branch campuses that were up for consideration in a virtual meeting on May 22. Those campuses, to close after the spring 2027 semester, are New Kensington, Fayette, DuBois, Mont Alto, Shenango, Wilkes-Barre and York. According to Penn State’s...
Educators debate Pa. House proposal to set flat cyber charter tuition rate
New Kensington-Arnold Superintendent Chris Sefcheck is encouraged to see the state House education committee move on legislation to set a flat tuition rate for cyber charter schools. The district spent $3.3 million this past school year on tuition for 167 students who live in the area to attend one of...
Hempfield Area finance committee wrestles with $172K deficit ahead of budget vote
Hempfield Area will still need to cover a $172,000 gap before passing a final budget for the 2025-2026 school year later this month. The school board held its final public hearing on its $114.5 million budget Monday evening. It approved May 19 a proposed final budget with a 4.35-mill tax...
Penn State students at closing campuses juggle staying the course or jumping ship
Penn State New Kensington fit the bill for 19-year-old Angelina Da Vila. “Originally, I wanted to go to Penn State,” she said. “I wanted to be in the city, but not go to such a big school. I still wanted that small-school atmosphere, and New Kensington sounded like one of...
Chancellor outlines vision as Penn State New Kensington, Fayette wind down operations
The regional chancellor for Penn State’s New Kensington, Fayette and Greater Allegheny campuses plans a smooth transition focused on students, faculty and staff as two of those campuses wind down operations in two years. “Through the 2026-27 academic year, we remain fully committed to supporting our students, faculty, staff and...
CMU, Pitt students speak out as Chinese student visas are threatened
Mia Cody fears that the diverse student environment she has grown to love in her two years at Carnegie Mellon University is under threat. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday that the Trump administration will aggressively revoke the visas of some Chinese students studying at colleges and universities throughout...
Special Tony for educators goes to NYC high school teacher who urges students to ‘step out the box’
NEW YORK — The special Tony Award that honors educators is going to a New York public high school teacher who shows how theater skills can apply to a career in the arts — and also far away from it. “My platform is career focused,” says Gary Edwin Robinson. “So,...
Federal judge extends order blocking Trump administration ban on foreign students at Harvard
BOSTON — A federal judge on Thursday extended an order blocking the Trump administration’s attempt to bar Harvard University from enrolling foreign students. U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs extended the block she imposed last week with a temporary restraining order, which allows the Ivy League school to continue enrolling international...
Harvard holds commencement amid Trump funding cuts, threats to international students
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Harvard University is holding its commencement Thursday at a pivotal moment, when its place as one of the world’s leading higher education institutions is under what increasingly seems like existential threats from the Trump administration. Other schools face the loss of federal funding and their ability to...
Wilkinsburg School District names new superintendent
The Wilkinsburg School District named Jocelyn V. Artinger as its next superintendent. The news came Tuesday night following a unanimous vote during the Wilkinsburg school board meeting. Artinger, who has 17 years of experience in public education, served as principal of Markham Elementary School in the Mt. Lebanon School District...
Secretary of State Marco Rubio says the U.S. will begin revoking the visas of Chinese students
WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday the U.S. will begin revoking the visas of some Chinese students, including those studying in “critical fields.” China is the second-largest country of origin for international students in the United States, behind only India. In the 2023-2024 school year, more than...
Experts say Penn State’s campus closures the harsh reality
Decades ago, the good times rolled at Penn State. In the 1990s, the state’s flagship was one of the most popular institutions nationwide, claiming to receive more SAT scores from high-school seniors than any other college, according to reports at the time. Pennsylvania was expecting its college-going population to swell,...
Harvard sues Trump administration over ban on enrolling foreign students
WASHINGTON — Harvard University is challenging the Trump administration’s decision to bar the Ivy League school from enrolling foreign students, calling it unconstitutional retaliation for defying the White House’s political demands. In a lawsuit filed Friday in federal court in Boston, Harvard said the government’s action violates the First Amendment...
Hempfield Area School Board eyes $114.5 million budget, 4.35-mill tax hike
The Hempfield Area School Board is proposing a 2025-26 district budget of more than $114.5 million, including a potential 4.35-mill property tax increase. The tentative tax hike would cover about $2.6 million of a roughly $2.8 million budget deficit, with a $172,000 funding gap remaining. Superintendent Mark Holtzman said the...
Penn State clashes with its land-grant mission as it mulls branch campus closures
As the discussion continues over Penn State’s recommendation to shutter seven branch campuses, much of the debate has turned to whether the closures would allow Penn State to continue to fulfill its mission as a land-grant university. But what exactly is a land-grant university? In 1863, Penn State was designated...
New standards for Oklahoma high school students promote misinformation about the 2020 election
OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma high school students studying U.S. history learn about the Industrial Revolution, women’s suffrage and America’s expanding role in international affairs. Beginning next school year, they will add conspiracy theories about the 2020 presidential election. Oklahoma’s new social studies standards for K-12 public school students, already infused...
Derry Area principal tapped to fill administrative vacancy at Greensburg Salem
Derry Area High School Principal Kara Gardner will serve as Greensburg Salem’s first assistant superintendent, filling a gap left by the resignation of the district’s human resources director earlier this year. Gardner, 36, of New Alexandria, began her career in education at Homer-Center Elementary in Center Township. She worked as...
Possible PSNK closure a blow to area school districts, but they’ll continue to promote the option
Nine students from last year’s graduating class from Kiski Area High School intended to attend Penn State New Kensington. But, so far, only two students from this year’s graduating class plan to do so. And Superintendent Jason Lohr can’t help but think that press coverage surrounding Penn State’s announcement of...
Student loans have been confusing lately. Here’s a guide to know where you stand
NEW YORK — Between collections resuming, courts blocking student loan programs and layoffs at the Education Department, borrowers might be confused about the status of their student loans. Recently, the Education Department announced it would start involuntary collections on defaulted loans, meaning the roughly 5.3 million borrowers who are in...
Divided Greensburg Salem board OKs $535K student tech purchase
A divided Greensburg Salem School Board approved spending more than $535,000 over four years to replace aging computer tablets and laptops that officials say will no longer function when the next Microsoft Windows update comes in October. The board voted 5-4 to buy 900 iPad tablets for the district’s high...
Greensburg Salem contends with $2.1M budget deficit
Greensburg Salem will need to close a $2.1 million gap in its 2025-26 budget as it contends with rising health care and cyber charter tuition costs. The district’s projected budget includes $51.9 million in revenue and about $54 million in expenses — a deficit that would require a 9.2-mill increase...
Meeting on Penn State campus closures scheduled next week
The fate of seven Penn State branch campuses — including New Kensington and Fayette — could be determined next Thursday. The board of trustees will meet virtually 5 p.m. May 22 to consider the recommendation to close the New Kensington, Fayette, DuBois, Mont Alto, Shenango, Wilkes-Barre and York campuses, according...
‘Heartbroken,’ ‘gut-wrenching’: Penn State communities grapple with recommended campus closures
Penelope Morrison hoped to retire one day from her job as an associate professor at Penn State New Kensington. Now she has come to the realization that might not be possible after Penn State acknowledged this week that New Kensington is one of seven branch campuses recommended for closure. “None...
Penn State trustees’ private talks on campus closures should happen in public, expert says
This story was produced by the State College regional bureau of Spotlight PA, an independent, nonpartisan newsroom dedicated to investigative and public-service journalism for Pennsylvania. Transparency advocates are questioning the Penn State Board of Trustees’ use of private meetings to discuss potential campus closures — including one who said the...
Report details Penn State New Kensington, Fayette’s plights as campuses recommended for closure
Penn State New Kensington has “struggled to maintain relevance and scale” in the Pittsburgh region’s competitive higher education environment. And Penn State Fayette has enrollment, demographic and operational challenges that make it unsustainable. That’s the reasoning behind the Penn State administration’s recommendation to close those two campuses — and seven...
