Education category, Page 25
Penn State reaches tentative deal with union days after Teamsters OK strike
Union members will vote in the coming weeks on a tentative contract agreement with management covering 2,500 employees on Penn State University branches statewide and the main University Park campus. The deal, if ratified, could offer a measure of labor peace at a time of heightened workplace anxiety across Penn...
Universal Lunch initiative would mean free meals for all students, regardless of family income
Hungry kids can quickly turn into hangry students. Rumbling stomachs can lead to classroom distraction and discipline issues, research shows, along with feelings of isolation for children whose families struggle to afford school lunches. “Not only do we see the benefits of full bellies in academics, but it’s social, too,”...
Pitt looks to add 3,200 students to Oakland campus, Chancellor Joan Gabel says
The University of Pittsburgh aims to increase enrollment at the main Oakland campus by about 3,200 students or 11% in five years and likely will add faculty and undergraduate housing. The ambitious goal, contained in the school’s updated strategic plan, could bring Oakland enrollment to nearly 33,000 — its highest...
Starting your 1st post-graduation job? Here’s how to organize your finances
NEW YORK — With graduation season over, many college grads are embarking on summer internships or their first full-time jobs. Navigating your finances when you start adult life can be challenging, from understanding your health insurance and benefits to managing a budget. Finding a job is often the first hurdle,...
Penn State technical service union members authorize strike — if needed
Members of a union representing about 2,500 employees at Penn State University campuses statewide — including Western Pennsylvania branches — voted overwhelmingly to authorize their leaders to call a strike if needed, the union’s leader said Wednesday. Talks aimed at reaching a deal before the current pact expires Sunday are...
Avoiding AI not an option for teachers, education experts say at Pittsburgh conference
As discussions of artificial intelligence technology make their way into classrooms across the country, education experts speaking at a national conference in Pittsburgh Tuesday urged teachers to take part in the conversation. Mike Searson summarized it simply: educators cannot handle AI the same way they addressed the rise of social...
West Virginia University to increase tuition about 5% and cut some programs
CHARLESTON — West Virginia University is increasing tuition by just under 5% a semester and cutting several majors from its divisional campuses in an ongoing effort to offset enrollment drops and a budget deficit. The state flagship university’s board of governors voted to discontinue bachelor’s degree programs in chemistry, math...
Missouri, Kansas judges temporarily halt much of President Biden’s student debt forgiveness plan
TOPEKA, Kan. — Federal judges in Kansas and Missouri on Monday together blocked much of a Biden administration student loan repayment plan that provides a faster path to cancellation and lower monthly payments for millions of borrowers. The judges’ rulings prevent the U.S. Department of Education from helping many of...
Property taxes to jump 5% to support Hempfield Area budget
Property taxes in Hempfield Area School District will be going up nearly 6% to support a 2024-2025 budget approved Monday by the school board. The $109.6 million budget will increase the district’s tax rate from 85.76 mills to 90.76 mills. It was approved in an 8-1 vote, with board member...
Working conditions are driver of national teacher shortage, federal education deputy says at Pittsburgh conference
When people ask Cindy Marten what she does for a living, she does not tell them she is the deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Education. After 34 years as an educator and school administrator, she tells them she is a teacher. “I was born, literally, to be a...
IUP inks deal with Punxsutawney Area Hospital for medical school
Indiana University of Pennsylvania on Monday signed an affiliation agreement with Punxsutawney Area Hospital to provide clinical training to students of IUP’s proposed college of osteopathic medicine. Having access to clinical settings is among the requirements to be accredited by the American Osteopathic Association’s Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation. The...
FAFSA delays continue to disrupt admissions at some colleges
For years, Slippery Rock University has held its own in a slumping student market, and its leaders anticipate another strong fall aided by a third consecutive increase in first-year students. But as that cautiously optimistic forecast was conveyed to school trustees in recent days, one unsettling statistic stood out. With...
AI, educator diversity and angry parents: National education conference comes to Pittsburgh
The use of AI in classrooms, the importance of educator diversity and dealing with angry parents are just a few of the topics that will be discussed at a national education conference in Pittsburgh beginning Sunday. More than 200 state government officials, representatives from educator preparation programs and school district...
New Pitt officers’ salaries top out at $630K with a $50K signing bonus
The University of Pittsburgh on Friday set salaries ranging from $300,000 to $630,000 for three new officers hired under Chancellor Joan Gabel and approved a retention bonus for a fourth officer predating her tenure. Two of the new hires will start at pay levels topping their predecessors who served in...
New York moves to limit ‘addictive’ social media feeds for kids
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Thursday signed a bill that would allow parents to block their children from getting social media posts suggested by a platform’s algorithm, a move to limit feeds critics argue are addictive. Under the legislation, feeds on apps like TikTok and Instagram would be limited...
Podcast: Penn State and the higher education divide
Is there an impending higher educational divide? Penn State announced the restructuring plan for its branch campuses this week. Two local branches, Fayette and New Kensington, will be consolidated under the Allegheny branch. This also comes with a 10% decrease in staff and faculty for all bridge campuses. Simultaneously, Penn...
When colleges close, students are left scrambling. Some never go back to school
PHILADELPHIA — Katherine Anderson trekked from Texas to Philadelphia last year for a college program she couldn’t find anywhere else, combining the music business, entrepreneurship and technology. Two weeks ago, she received the startling news the university would be shutting down within days. The closure of the University of the...
Random searches at Hempfield Area could continue in next school year
Hempfield Area School District’s safety and security committee is recommending the district continue with random searches of students into the new school year. The committee is also recommending the district buy two weapons detectors to be used in random searches at the district’s two middle schools, Harrold school and the...
Proposed IUP medical school gets $20M pledge from foundation, support from Pa. legislators
A college of osteopathic medicine proposed by Indiana University of Pennsylvania has secured a $20 million commitment from its foundation, the largest gift toward the initiative to date. In announcing the commitment Monday, the Foundation for Indiana University of Pennsylvania said its board is unanimous in support for what would...
Are Penn State cuts a preview of higher education divide?
The gap between Penn State University’s sprawling main campus and its 20 branches can be measured these days in ways more personal and profound than highway miles. Stung by double-digit enrollment losses, the branch campuses and their students are about to lose 10% of their faculty and staff to buyouts...
Jay-Z enters one of Pa.’s messiest political fights
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan, and nonprofit newsroom producing investigative and public-service journalism that holds power to account and drives positive change in Pennsylvania. HARRISBURG — A series of events intended to get Philadelphians to support using taxpayer money to fund private school vouchers is bankrolled by an unexpected...
Marquette University President Michael Lovell, who had ties to Pitt, dies at 57
Michael Lovell, the president of Marquette University with deep ties to the University of Pittsburgh, died in Rome on Sunday after a battle with cancer. He was 57 and grew up in Meadville. Lovell earned three mechanical engineering degrees including a doctorate from the University of Pittsburgh in 1994. He...
New Kensington innovation projects to continue despite changes at Penn State
As chancellor of Penn State New Kensington, one of Kevin Snider’s goals was to sink his campus’ roots so deeply into the city that its initiatives would continue without him. Now that he’s set to retire at the end of the year with his campus falling under a new leadership...
Deficit, enrollment trends spur leadership revamp for Penn State’s Fayette campus
Students value the small-college atmosphere at Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus near Uniontown, but that increasingly intimate nature is triggering a major change. In the face of declining enrollment and budget deficits, Penn State is consolidating oversight of some of its branch campuses and is paring its payroll. The...
Hempfield Area to vote on 5-mill tax hike, elimination of 2 librarian and 4 teacher positions
Two librarian positions, one special education teacher position, and three teacher positions are up for elimination at Hempfield Area School District as part of a proposed budget that includes a 5-mill tax hike. The district is set to vote on its nearly $109.6 million budget for 2024-2025 on June 24....
