Education category, Page 11
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...
Penn State president wants to close 7 campuses; internal records explain why
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. Sign up for Talk of the Town, a weekly newsletter of local stories that dig deep, events, and more from north-central PA, at spotlightpa.org/newsletters/talkofthetown. Penn...
Penn State disappointed but doesn’t refute report on narrowed campus closure list
Penn State officials expressed disappointment over — but failed to refute — a report that disclosed seven commonwealth campuses are slated to be eliminated as part of a university austerity plan. The Fayette and New Kensington campuses in Southwestern Pennsylvania were among the seven. “It is regrettable that our communities...
Hempfield Area to present new details on high school renovation, district budget next week
Hempfield Area School Board will present next week a schematic design for the district’s high school renovation. The district has discussed in recent years overhauling the high school building — gutting and renovating the interior while leaving most of the exterior intact. School officials declined to share details of the...
Norwin candidates seek fresh perspective on board
The political battles on the Norwin School Board in 2022 and 2023 may come to an end over the next two years as four incumbents will not be on the May 20 primary election ballot. Rob Bunovich, Monica Kitta, Jakub Sadowski, Chelsea Thomas and Ella Thompson, all of North Huntingdon,...
Penn-Trafford School Board tasked with closing $400K budget deficit
Property tax bills could increase by about $80 per year in Penn-Trafford School District following preliminary budget approval by a divided school board this week. But the tax hike would still not be enough to cover the more than $400,000 deficit in the district’s 2025-26 budget, business manager Brett Lago...
4 Western Pa. high schools to compete in national robotics competition
Plum Senior High School’s robotics team has spent hundreds of hours designing, building and refining a 15-pound machine to compete for a national title this weekend. But the 23-student team is fully prepared to watch their labor of love shatter to pieces. Plum is one of dozens of schools that...
Most Americans disapprove of Trump’s treatment of colleges, a new AP-NORC poll finds
WASHINGTON — A majority of U.S. adults disapprove of President Donald Trump’s handling of issues related to colleges and universities, according to a new poll, as his administration ramps up threats to cut federal funding unless schools comply with his political agenda. More than half of Americans, 56%, disapprove of...
Penn-Trafford School Board candidates run unopposed; police chief runs for spot
Four candidates — three incumbents and one newcomer — will run for the four available seats on the Penn-Trafford School Board this spring. Region II incumbents Bryan Kline and Richard Niemiec, along with Region III incumbent Toni Ising, will seek another four-year term. Penn Township Police Chief John Otto is...
GOP lawmakers berate Haverford College president for not discussing discipline for antisemitism
WASHINGTON — The president of Haverford College was berated by Republican lawmakers in a congressional hearing on campus antisemitism Wednesday, with some suggesting the school should lose federal funding because of her refusal to discuss student discipline in the wake of pro-Palestinian protests. Wendy Raymond appeared alongside two other college...
How Penn State trustees’ plan to vote on campus closures could run afoul of transparency law
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. Sign up for Talk of the Town, a weekly newsletter of local stories that dig deep, events, and more from north-central PA, at spotlightpa.org/newsletters/talkofthetown. The...
Derry native donates to IUP’s proposed osteopathic medicine college
A Derry native and veteran has made a $50,000 donation to the proposed osteopathic medicine college at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Lt. Col. Barry Gasdek, a 1964 IUP graduate, offered the donation, which is part of $32 million the university has collected in private and government funding to develop the...
As deadline looms for Penn State’s future, former PSNK chancellors share thoughts
Robert Arbuckle has myriad suggestions for what Penn State could do to combat declining enrollment and financial issues at its branch campuses. None of them include closing campuses. “You have to use your imagination and be creative,” said Arbuckle, who was the Upper Burrell college’s CEO from 1977 to 1992....
Carnegie Mellon to pause merit raises amid economic uncertainty
Employees at Carnegie Mellon University will not receive merit increases in their salaries for the upcoming fiscal year. In an email addressed to colleagues Friday obtained by TribLive, CMU President Farnam Jahanian revealed the decision, which he said is a “pause” in merit increases. “I write to you with a...
Penn State faculty senate asks admin to pause campus closure decision
The Penn State faculty senate passed a positional report this week opposing the closure of commonwealth campuses and asked the university administration to pause the decision until an impact assessment can be conducted. Faculty senators have not shied away from expressing their concerns about closing campuses and how even before...
Costly cyber charter tuition is consuming tens of millions of new state dollars for poor Pa. schools
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 surge of taxpayer money approved last year to help students in Pennsylvania’s poorest schools is being used by dozens of districts to...
Chatham University names interim president
With Chatham University President Rhonda Phillips set to leave at the end of May, the school on Monday announced a new interim president. The Board of Trustees has appointed Lisa Lambert, provost and vice president of academic affairs, to take on the lead duties, effective June 1. Phillips is leaving...
Pa. educators push for additional dollars to equitably fund schools
New Kensington-Arnold Superintendent Chris Sefcheck is grateful for the unprecedented funding that was granted to Pennsylvania’s public schools this academic year. But, as education experts continue to note inadequate funding among the majority of the state’s K-12 schools, Sefcheck knows there is still a long way to go in properly...
