Newsroom

Homeland Security hosts school safety panel in Somerset County

An assistant director from Homeland Security was in Somerset County Monday for a school safety panel. Congressman John Joyce and Brian Harrell, assistant director for the Infrastructure Security Division of Homeland Security, hosted the panel at the Somerset County Technology Center… More

Poor school districts are funding the state’s cyber charter schools, research shows. That wasn’t always the case

Pennsylvania’s cyber charter schools — taxpayer-funded, privately managed schools that offer their curriculum online — enrolled close to 39,000 students in the 2018-19 academic year, according to a Capital-Star analysis of state Department of Education data… More

Reducing gun violence to save lives is aim of PA Gov. Wolf’s latest executive order

Among the many strategies they will pursue is include increasing data sharing across law enforcement agencies, holding more active shooter training sessions for commonwealth employees, focusing police deterrence in places where violence exits, providing more police training, expanding gun buyback programs, increasing school emotional and social behavioral supports, bolstering evidence-based juvenile justice programs, and expanding… More

Eight pieces of proposed legislation under review by lawmakers seeking to banish school property taxes

While no news releases are being issued by an informal group of lawmakers studying ways to replace school property taxes with other taxes, individual members are giving clues to the group’s direction and progress… More

Lawmakers are talking about eliminating school property taxes. Again.

Pennsylvania's “age-old” struggle to eliminate school property taxes and shift that tax burden elsewhere is back on Harrisburg's radar. Whether lawmakers will actually be able to make massive changes to the state’s main source of education funding remains unclear… More

Pennsylvania superintendents, charter school administrators agree on need for funding changes, differ on details

Members of the Pennsylvania State Senate Education Committee heard contrasting comments this week from public education superintendents and leaders of statewide cyber charter schools about funding issues both face in educating students… More

Video EDition: Act 67 revises school safety and security personnel requirements, training

How is your school entity affected by School Code revisions in Act 67 of 2019? In this installment, get a brief overview of the new requirements and training needs for school resource officers, school police officers and school security guards, and learn how to define these roles… More

Active shooter drills have become common in Pittsburgh-area schools but mental health effects remain unknown

ALICE training ⁠— an acronym for Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter and Evacuate ⁠— has some parents, teachers and security experts concerned because of the “Counter” portion of its training. The institute instructs students of all ages how to fight back, or counter, a shooter… More

Pennsylvania’s charter schools, explained: How they work, and why Gov. Wolf wants to reform them

Whether they want more funding for traditional public schools, or support the growing charter industry, advocates and policymakers across Pennsylvania all agreed on one thing this week: The debate over charter school funding has reached a “crisis point… More

PSBA Addresses the Senate Education Committee on Charter School Funding Reform

Contact: Annette Stevenson Chief Communications Officer annette.stevenson@psba… More