PA Education Department Defends its Treatment of Chester Upland
Lawyers for the state Department of Education began their defense Tuesday in a federal special-education lawsuit brought by the Chester Upland School District, saying that no law had been violated and that the district had done too little to solve …
Districts consider advertising in school buses to bring in revenue
Corbett administration urging districts to be creative, flexible HARRISBURG — As costs grow and tax increases become less palatable, Pennsylvania school districts could be targeting young consumers with ads in school buses to make money. “It’s just another creative way …
Corbett: Open to Spending More, But Not Protesters
GOV. CORBETT sounded open on Tuesday to spending more on the state budget that starts July 1 than the $27.1 billion he first proposed in February. But Corbett dismissed the concerns of those protesting outside the Prince Music Theater, where …
IFO Makes Gov Acknowledge Revenue Reality
OFF THE FLOOR A Capitolwire Column By Peter L. DeCoursey Bureau Chief Capitolwire HARRISBURG (May 14) – A stunning percentage of progress in government – or anything else – comes when everyone is forced to acknowledge the obvious and act …
Yes, Kindergarten Might not Happen Next Year in Harrisburg
Harrisburg School District might not offer kindergarten next year. We’re not talking about going from full-day to half-day, we’re talking about no kindergarten at all. There’s been plenty of finger-pointing about education funding lately, but for me, this entire debate …
Struggling Sto-Rox School District Faces Bleak Choices
When Michael Panza became superintendent of the Sto-Rox School District this year, he quickly discovered the district was in the midst of an all-out financial trauma and his job would be to help the board perform triage to keep it …
EDITORIAL: School-funding Cut Outrage Felt in Harrisburg
It’s been a rough year for public schools in Delaware County. They’re always under the gun from local taxpayers to control costs. But the Great Recession – and decreased revenues to state coffers — has put even more strain on …
Chester Upland Pleads Case in Federal Court
Chester Upland School District officials, in federal court Wednesday hoping to receive assurances that they will have enough money to educate 700 special-education students this fall, painted a grim picture of the district’s finances. District officials told U.S. District Judge …
Study: More Pa. Schools Charge Fees for Activities and Sports
By Eleanor Chute / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette An increasing number of school districts are charging fees for students to participate in athletics and various extracurricular activities, according to the Pennsylvania School Boards Association. The PSBA said today that nearly one of three school …
Senate budget has Deal to Limit State-funded College Tuition Hikes. Administration Opposed Spending Hike.
By Peter L. DeCoursey Bureau Chief Capitolwire May 8, 2012 Senate GOP budget proposal would spend $500 million more than Gov. Tom Corbett’s plan, but they say it is only a 1.8 percent increase, and would fit under a TABOR …