Newsroom

Mandated: Fiscal pressures make nonmandated program cuts more tempting

About 67% of school districts statewide are in survival mode, according to Richard Fry, president of the Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators and superintendent of Big Spring School District. Carlisle Sentinel, Oct… More

Mandated: School districts grapple with teacher shortages in all content areas

The statewide teacher shortage has put a crimp on the ability of at least one local school district to continue nonmandated curriculum programs the school board and administration support. Carlisle Sentinel, Oct… More

Midstate school district becomes first in PA to allow armed teachers

A Schuylkill County school district recently, and rather quietly, became Pennsylvania's first to pass a policy permitting teachers to carry guns in schools. But a backlash has since developed, setting up a showdown over the place of guns in Pennsylvania schools that could set statewide precedent. WITF, Oct… More

Gov. Tom Wolf, Scott Wagner divided over how to make schools safer

The rash of school shootings that averaged one a week in the first 21 weeks of this year — most notably ones in Florida, Texas, and Maryland — has raised the profile of school safety in political campaigns, including this year's gubernatorial contest in Pennsylvania. Pennlive, Oct… More

Equity Summit recap

On Oct. 16 students, school leaders and other education stakeholders, including PSBA members, gathered at Lebanon Valley College (LVC) for the 2018 Equity Summit held by the Institute for Educational Governance and Leadership (IEGL). In addition to keynotes by Dr. Sherri Lawson Clark and Dr… More

As costs skyrocket, Pennsylvania’s share of special education funding has fallen

According to a new report by the Education Law Center and the statewide coalition PA Schools Work, spending on special education has risen among the state’s 500 school districts. But the study says state funding has failed to keep up with rising costs, creating an ever-widening funding gap. Allentown Morning Call, Oct… More

Officials: Special education funding not keeping pace with needs

A couple of superintendents with local school districts weighed in on a recent study that reports state special education funding in Pennsylvania is not keeping pace with local needs. Bradford Era, Oct… More

Where Gov. Tom Wolf, Scott Wagner clash on school funding

As voters do their homework to decide which gubernatorial candidate they'll support on Nov. 6, those who place a high importance on education can see clear differences between Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf and Republican challenger Scott Wagner. Pennlive, Oct… More

Wolf signs Keystone reprieve among other bills

Gov… More

Why principals need to make student mental health a priority

An estimated 32% of adolescents have an anxiety disorder, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. Twelve percent of youth between the ages of 12 and 17 say they have experienced one major depressive episode in the past year, according to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. Education Week, Oct… More