Education category, Page 32
Gov. Shapiro’s budget calls for deep cuts to cyber charter school funding; public schools in for windfall
A proposal by Gov. Josh Shapiro to slash fees for cyber charter students could save public schools about $262 million a year. The move has public school officials singing Shapiro’s praises but leaves cyber school administrators anxious and frustrated. “This narrative that we are overfunded, we don’t agree with that,”...
Penn State dance marathon raises $17 million, beats record by $2 million
Their voices are likely shot, their ankles probably sore and they definitely could use some sleep. But the 700-plus dancers — and thousands more who participated in this year’s Penn State University IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon — know they made history, raising almost $17 million in the fight against childhood cancer,...
Students in Hempfield support programs sell handmade items through boutique
Jack Wonderling carefully lifted the lid of the heat press machine and placed a fresh tote bag inside. He pressed down on the handle of the press and held it for about a minute until the design — a glittery blue Spartan logo — was transferred onto the outside of...
Penn State president could get $1.5 million bonus if she stays through June 2032
Penn State University trustees on Friday showed they want to retain President Neeli Bendapudi long term by approving incentives including a $1.5 million bonus if she stays in office through June 30, 2032. The vote to amend her compensation package came as the state’s flagship public university confronts what some...
Ellis School Black History Month fashion show honors August Wilson, Ann Lowe
The Ellis School held a fashion showcase on Thursday, paying homage to pioneers in Black culture — playwright and author August Wilson and fashion designer Ann Lowe. Students strutted down the runway in fashions of different eras that represented each decade of Wilson’s play. “Eras of Style: Celebrating August Wilson’s...
Hempfield Area out $2.4M in payments to architectural firm for high school project
Hempfield Area School District paid more than $2.4 million to departing firm Core Architects for work on its now-stalled $150 million high school renovation project, according to district business manager Paul Schott. Core Architects resigned from the ambitious project last week by sending the district a letter, according to Ryan...
Hempfield Area Foundation Funds Committee to host ‘Spartan Soiree’
Hempfield Area School District’s Foundation Funds Committee is holding a weekend night of celebration to benefit student scholarships, grants and district projects. Through the upcoming “Spartan Soiree,” slated for 6 p.m. Saturdayat Ferrante’s Lakeview in Hempfield, attendees can support the committee’s efforts and enjoy food, drinks and live music. Basket...
College and university endowments rebound from historically bad year; Pitt remains largest in Western Pa.
College and university endowments in 2023 reversed a historically poor showing from the previous year by posting investment returns approaching 8% that favored institutions with less wealth over peers with billions of dollars in holdings. The findings are from a study of nearly 700 institutions nationally that was released Thursday...
Gun victims’ re-created voices are being sent to lawmakers who support the NRA
PARKLAND, Fla. — Joaquin “Guac” Oliver died in the 2018 Parkland, Florida, high school massacre, but federal lawmakers who oppose tighter gun regulations began getting phone calls in his voice on Wednesday, lambasting them for their position. The families of Oliver and five others killed with guns are using artificial...
As architect for Hempfield Area High School project resigns, district looks for new firm
Hempfield Area School District is looking for a new architect to work on its high school improvement project after the Bellevue-based firm that worked with the district since 2022 resigned. The school board Monday approved the resignation of Core Architects and approved seeking other architecture firms to work on the...
Carnegie Mellon boosts tuition to $64K per year
Undergraduate tuition will soon cost more than $64,500 at Carnegie Mellon University under new rates for the 2024-25 academic year. That will boost overall undergraduate charges by 3.72%. The new $64,596 yearly tuition was adopted by school trustees and outlined in a message to the campus this month from Provost...
A bullet on note in IUP classroom causes angst and reflects reality of college life
The handwritten note found in a classroom on the Indiana University of Pennsylvania campus seemed harmless at first: “Hello student. Hope you have a good day!” But it ended cryptically with the initials “JK,” “lol” and an acronym for foul language. Then came something more ominous: A bullet was placed...
Mt. Pleasant, Franklin Regional, Butler seniors score scholarships in annual Saint Vincent competition
High school senior Eli Duvall’s post-secondary plans recently got a boost when he learned he’d earned a full-ride scholarship to attend Saint Vincent College in Unity. Duvall, who attends Mt. Pleasant Area Senior High, has been awarded a scholarship covering four years of tuition, room and board, as the top...
Hempfield Area moves forward with weapons detector trial at high school
After several months of deliberation on potential security upgrades, Hempfield Area School District will test out a new weapons detector system at the high school on Feb. 21. The OPENGATE weapons detectors, a product of Ohio-based CEIA USA, are walk-through weapons detectors that don’t require students to take off their...
FAFSA angst sweeps across Western Pa. for prospective college students
Many prospective college students and their parents are feeling angst over delays associated with the federal financial aid application, known as FAFSA, that millions rely on. An update to the application system last year has resulted in delays this year. As a result, it could be mid-March before colleges receive...
Pitt trustees discuss ways to raise national profile
University of Pittsburgh trustees Thursday heard an update on the university’s five-year strategic initiative dubbed “Plan for Pitt” and elected a new board chairman. Their meeting was punctuated by a noisy but peaceful pro-Palestinan protest outside the Assembly Room in the William Pitt Union. The demonstrators numbering a few dozen...
Criminal background checks waived for some student employees at Pa. state universities
Some student employees who work jobs at the 10 state universities would be exempted from the Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education’s criminal background check policy. The system’s governing board on Thursday approved the policy change that carves out student employees who have no direct contact and/or routine contact with...
Stop the Violence Pittsburgh holds annual Black History Month summit and essay contest
Stop The Violence Pittsburgh held its sixth annual student Black History Month Summit and Essay Contest Wednesday at Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall and Museum in Oakland. The summit brought out more than 600 students from regional high schools, including Aliquippa High School, Oakland Catholic High School, Fox Chapel Area...
Shapiro’s college plan could be ‘transformational,’ Pa. higher education board chair says
Minutes into Thursday’s State System of Higher Education board meeting, chair Cynthia Shapira summed up in her own view the enormous stakes for public higher education in Pennsylvania: “If we do this right, the new system represents an opportunity to be transformational.” She was referring to Gov. Josh Shapiro’s proposal...
PennWest University embarks on search for new president
Efforts to identify PennWest University’s next president are advancing this week after the school finished assembling a 25-member search committee. Members are a mix of State System of Higher Education leaders and representatives from the California, Clarion and Edinboro campuses, which were merged in 2022 to create Western Pennsylvania’s largest...
Cough? Sore throat? More schools suggest mildly sick kids attend anyway
Trenace Dorsey-Hollins’ 5-year-old daughter was sick a lot last year. Dorsey-Hollins followed school guidelines and kept her home when she had a cough or a sore throat — or worse — until she was completely better. Near the end of the year, the school in Fort Worth, Texas, called her...
Gov. Shapiro seeks billions for Pa. schools, development in budget that envisions legal marijuanaVideo
HARRISBURG, Pa. — Gov. Josh Shapiro’s second budget proposes significant increases to education and economic development and would regulate adult use marijuana, while leaning heavily on Pennsylvania’s flush reserves to underwrite his vision. On Tuesday, the Democrat unveiled his budget for the 2024-25 fiscal year, which begins on July 1,...
Shapiro’s budget proposal seeks funding increase to merge state-owned universities and community collegesVideo
A unified system of 10 Pennsylvania state-owned universities and 15 community colleges would see a near-historic, 15% increase in state funding under Gov. Josh Shapiro’s proposed 2024-25 state budget, which was unveiled Tuesday. The increase would support his plan, announced last month, to overhaul the state’s higher education system and...
Raising taxes on the table as Pa. weighs how to pay for education court ruling
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 — Pennsylvania likely needs billions of dollars to shore up its public schools following a landmark court ruling, but lawmakers are entering a new...
Dartmouth reinstates SAT test requirement. Will Pa. colleges follow?
The pandemic that drove students from campuses in March 2020 also accelerated a decadeslong shift away from using the SAT/ACT in college admission. By last spring, more than 8 in 10 colleges nationally and in Pennsylvania no longer required standardized tests. That trend could be reversing itself — at least...
