Newsroom

New child vaccination legislation introduced by state representatives in Pittsburgh

Two state representatives are introducing legislation that they say would promote child immunizations in Pennsylvania. Rep. Dan Frankel, D-Pittsburgh, said his bill would require families to have annual meetings with a doctor if they want a non-medical exemption for vaccinations… More

How to get rid of property taxes? Lawmaker looks to retirement income

One state House lawmaker is trying to pitch a new solution to a very old Pennsylvania problem: the reliance on school property taxes. Lebanon County Republican Representative Frank Ryan acknowledged Tuesday, his still-unintroduced property tax elimination plan would be a big, difficult pill for the commonwealth to swallow… More

Education groups praise Governor Wolf’s charter reforms

Governor Tom Wolf took executive action last week to improve quality, transparency and accountability of Pennsylvania’s charter schools to control costs and improve outcomes for students. Gov. Wolf also received support for his charter school actions from a variety of other legislators and education community leaders. Montco… More

Podcast – The Impact of Act 7: Saving Lives Through Hands-Only CPR

Act 7 of 2019 has just taken effect, requiring the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) to develop and provide curriculum for hands-only cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to schools, now part of required high school instruction… More

Changing school start times

CBS continues to examine the pros and cons of flip-flopping school start times for older and younger students. Research shows students may benefit. But as CBS21’s Michael Gorsegner found out making a major move isn’t always easy… More

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