Education category, Page 54
Penn State increases tuition costs for some, not all, students
Penn State University’s board of trustees approved a tuition increase of 5% for in-state University Park undergraduates and 2% for their commonwealth campus counterparts. That’s the university’s largest tuition hike in 12 years, but it comes with a caveat: In-state and out-of-state students who have a household income of $75,000...
Pennsylvania-owned universities hope to increase financial aid, graduation rates
The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education is starting the final stage of its plan to rethink how it manages state-owned schools. PASSHE’s board of governors approved the third phase during a meeting this week. Among numerous goals, it aims to increase financial aid and graduation rates for students at...
Strategy to recruit, retain teachers in Pa. introduced by Wolf administration
Out of Gov. Tom Wolf’s commitment to leaving the state’s education system in better shape than he found it comes a three-year strategy to recruit and retain more educators to work in Pennsylvania’s classrooms, according to Acting Education Secretary Eric Hagarty. Hagarty said filling vacancies at schools is the most...
Boost in K-12 state funding to impact Allegheny, Westmoreland districts
Allegheny and Westmoreland school districts anticipate a boost in funding this year after legislators gave their stamp of approval to $8.5 billion for K-12 public education. The Keystone State will provide more than $7.3 billion in basic education and level-up funds — a roughly 11.4% increase from the 2021-22 allocation....
Pitt-Greensburg ‘Pitt-nic’ includes campus tour, lunch, lawn games
High school students who will be starting their senior year this fall are invited to a summer “Pitt-nic” July 16 on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg. The outdoor admissions event is set for 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Those attending will have an opportunity to tour...
Acting Pa. education secretary touts funding in IUP visit
Acting Pa. Secretary of Education Eric Hagarty remembers what it was like to shoulder student loan debt. “The average graduate in Pennsylvania has somewhere just north of $30,000 in student loan debt, which is about what I had when I graduated college,” Hagarty told Indiana University of Pennsylvania administrators, staff...
More flexibility proposed for student debt forgiveness
New rules proposed by the Biden administration on Wednesday would make it easier for borrowers to get their federal student debt forgiven through several existing programs. The action is intended to overhaul relief programs that have been criticized for their burdensome paperwork requirements and long processing times. It builds on...
Allegheny County Democrats push for Pitt funding as Pa. budget deadline edges closer
Democrats continue to throw their full support behind the University of Pittsburgh’s funding after Pennsylvania House Republicans added a take-it-or-leave-it amendment to Pitt’s appropriation bill. Numerous Allegheny County Democrats gathered Tuesday in Harrisburg to speak in favor of Pitt and decry the amendment that would restrict state-related universities from receiving...
Public, private sectors cooperate to try to boost apprenticeship numbers in Pennsylvania
In the years leading up to his graduation from Hampton Township High School in 2019, Nic Michielli discussed his future with district staff. “When I told my high school guidance counselor that I probably wasn’t planning to go to college, the conversation pretty much ended there,” Michielli said. With a...
Religious schools may face another hurdle to state tuition
AUGUSTA, Maine — Religious schools got what they wanted when the Supreme Court allowed them to participate in a state tuition program. But the state attorney general said the ruling will be for naught unless the schools are willing to abide by the same antidiscrimination law as other private schools...
As Pa. teacher shortage looms, legislators consider bill to smooth out-of-state certification
As local school districts scramble to find teachers and substitute teachers, a bill that would make it easier for out-of-state educators to work in Pennsylvania has received unanimous support from lawmakers thus far. State Sen. Camera Bartolotta, R-Washington, is co-sponsoring the bill, which now awaits House and gubernatorial approval. “This...
New West Jefferson Hills superintendent to lead alma mater
You really can go home again. Janet Sardon sat in the library at Thomas Jefferson High School on a recent Friday morning. She recalled her days as a student in the district. “I can remember that time of my life walking into (then) Pleasant Hills Elementary and my days in...
Pa. Senate votes to block charter school regulations from taking effect
The Pennsylvania Senate on Wednesday passed a concurrent resolution that would block Gov. Tom Wolf’s regulatory changes to the state’s charter school law from taking effect. By a 30-20 near party-line vote, the chamber approved the House-passed disapproval resolution which now goes to the governor who is expected to veto...
Pa. state university system adopts enrollment-based formula for distributing state dollars
The stakes over state investment in Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education got higher on Wednesday with the approval of a new enrollment-driven formula for allocating dollars to the system’s soon-to-be 10 universities. The system’s governing board on Wednesday unanimously voted to implement a funding distribution formula that at the...
Penn-Trafford video class brings home a half-dozen student Emmy awardsVideo
Video production students at Penn-Trafford High School are finishing the year with a bang. Students from the class brought home National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences High School Student Production awards in six different categories in the Mid-Atlantic region on Thursday, including winning “Best Newscast” four of the past...
Hempfield lawmaker’s bill targets Pitt, Penn State funding
Tuition funding for Pennsylvania students could be turned on its head in the coming years. On Wednesday, State Rep. Eric Nelson, R-Hempfield, introduced a bill that aims to redirect funds from Pitt, Penn State and Temple University to in-state students at all universities, private colleges, community colleges and technical schools...
Pittsburgh business, community leaders publicly support Pitt funding
Over 100 regional business and community leaders have thrown their weight behind the University of Pittsburgh as Republican support for the school’s state funding is in jeopardy. Pitt shared 12 letters this week urging lawmakers to follow precedent and approve the university’s 2022-23 nonpreferred appropriation bill, which would give the...
Security measures heightened, discussed in Western Pa. districts after Texas school shooting
Knowing just how much the deadliest elementary school shooting since Sandy Hook in 2012 was likely to affect unnerved parents and children throughout Western Pennsylvania, local school officials took a proactive approach Wednesday to reassuring worried students and their families. Greensburg Salem School Districts posted a video message on its...
Career fair will connect Hempfield students, employers
Upperclassmen at Hempfield Area High School looking to enter the workforce after graduation will have an opportunity to connect with local businesses during a job fair this week. The Spartan Connections Career Fair featuring about 50 local businesses is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday in the high...
Magazine gives Alle-Kiski Valley’s high schools wildly varied grades; Pitt prof says stats don’t tell whole story
Five of the Alle-Kiski Valley’s high schools ranked in the top 25% of the best high schools in the state, according to a recent U.S. News & World Report, and three are ranked in the bottom quarter. Freeport Area High School ranked among the Valley’s highest in the state at...
2 Alle-Kiski Valley educators win top awards for excellence in education
Students from Julie Erb’s kindergarten class at Martin Elementary School in New Kensington are looking forward to a special party Friday to honor their teacher. Erb is one of two Alle-Kiski Valley educators who received statewide recognition this week for excellence in academics. The Education Partnership named Erb its Elementary...
Shults Ford owner awards $5,000 scholarships to Steel Valley High School students
When Richard Bazzy’s children were born, he opened bank accounts for them. He deposited $50 per week for 20 years. “I wanted them to have the money to be able to go to college or technical school or whatever school they wanted,” said Bazzy, president and owner of Shults Ford...
Community input sought in Pittsburgh Public Schools superintendent search
The Pittsburgh Board of Public Education is asking for as much community input as possible during its national search to select a permanent superintendent to lead Pittsburgh Public Schools, the region’s largest school district. The board is holding several upcoming community forums to gather input from residents and interested parties....
Hampton ranks in top 2.2% of Pennsylvania high schools
Hampton High School has been ranked 15th out of 676 high schools in Pennsylvania in the 2022 Best High Schools rankings released April 26 by U.S. News & World Report. The high school also ranked fourth in the Pittsburgh region out of 132 high schools. In this year’s rankings, Hampton...
Bots to brawl during high school robotics competition at California University
Robots will fight it out gladiator-style during the 17th annual BotsIQ high school robotics competition this weekend at California University of Pennsylvania. Students from 41 regional high schools will bring their 15-pound bots to the brawl on Friday and Saturday, according to a BotsIQ news release. The teams have spent...
