Education category, Page 20
Pitt plans to spend $14.5M to tame ‘Cardiac Hill’
Anyone who’s climbed “Cardiac Hill” for a basketball game or class at the University of Pittsburgh will tell you — perhaps after catching their breath — that having an upper and lower campus can be taxing. That’s why Western Pennsylvania’s largest university is prepared to spend $14.5 million to make...
Pitt graduate student workers to vote next month on whether to unionize
Graduate student workers at the University of Pittsburgh will vote in a state-supervised election next month on whether to join the United Steelworkers, the union already representing faulty and staff there. The election Nov. 18, 19 and 21 involves 2,000 teaching, research and other graduate assistants. It will be overseen...
Chartiers Valley appoints Woodland Hills’ Dan Castagna as superintendent
Chartiers Valley School District has appointed a new superintendent with a base salary of $250,000. The school board Thursday evening voted 6-3 to appoint Dan Castagna, who is currently superintendent of the Woodland Hills School District, as its leader for the next five years. His contract will run from Jan....
West Hempfield elementary school site could be home to new fire station
About five months after Adamsburg fire station crews expressed interest in turning management of its service over to the township, Hempfield is considering building the firefighters a station on Hempfield Area School District property. Over the past several years, the township has invited its 10 fire stations to become “nonchartered”...
Young women lean Democratic. Now the election may hinge on Harris’ ability to run up the score
PITTSBURGH — At the University of Pittsburgh, as freshmen students took their first steps on campus and swarms of lanternflies buzzed through the air, the sounds of Taylor Swift and Chappell Roan drifted from a folding table draped with an iridescent pink tablecloth. Fruit snacks and colorful butterfly hairclips were...
Hempfield approves director position to create innovative programs for students
A week after district officials discussed incorporating a center of innovation into its high school renovation project, the Hempfield Area School Board voted to hire a director for the proposed space. The board unanimously voted Monday evening to create a Director of Innovation, Strategic Programs and Safety position focused on...
Parents sue elite private school in California for expelling 5th-grader over squirt-gun emoji, rap lyrics
LOS ANGELES — The parents of a fifth-grader are suing an elite private Mulholland Drive elementary school after their son was expelled over emails he exchanged with a classmate containing rap lyrics and the squirt gun emoji. The parents allege that the disciplinary action was “arbitrary and capricious” and that...
New campus protest rules spur an outcry from college faculty
Dissent is thriving this fall at American colleges, and not just among student activists. With student protests limited by new restrictions, faculty have taken up the cause. To faculty, new protest rules threaten freedom of speech — and the freedom to think, both central to university life. This semester, some...
Exchange students contribute to fabric of Western Pennsylvania as they experience American culture
When a colleague asked Deer Lakes Spanish teacher Josh Destein if he knew anyone who could host an exchange student from Spain, he jokingly said he could. “I’m single and I have a little house,” he said. “Her face lit up. She got so excited. My little joke turned into...
Biden administration has now canceled loans for more than 1 million public workers
WASHINGTON — A student loan cancellation program for public workers has granted relief to more than 1 million Americans — up from just 7,000 who were approved before it was updated by the Biden administration two years ago. President Joe Biden announced the milestone on Thursday, saying his administration restored...
Hempfield reviews visions for high school renovation project after construction stalled last year
More than a year after halting a high school renovation that came in over budget, Hempfield Area School District is getting back on track with the project. Architect Crabtree, Rohrbaugh & Associates laid out visions for the project during a school board meeting this week, touching on improvement priorities and...
Pittsburgh Public Schools unveils plan to consolidate, reconfigure facilities
A plan to reduce the footprint of Pittsburgh Public Schools from 54 to 42 schools was introduced Tuesday. Education Resource Strategies suggests closing 14 schools and 10 facilities, reconfiguring 12 schools and opening three new schools. The consultant was hired by the district and examined community feedback and a variety...
Nominations sought for Pennsylvania’s 2026 Teacher of the Year
The state Department of Education invites residents to nominate candidates for the state’s 2026 Teacher of the Year. The Teacher of the Year program celebrates educators who’ve made significant contributions in their field. Nominations will be taken through Dec. 16. Finalists are recognized in Harrisburg each fall. The 2025 Teacher...
Hempfield considers redoing auxiliary gym roof, following auditorium roof replacement in August
After replacing its auditorium roof this summer, Hempfield Area High School may see a new roof covering its auxiliary gym. The 7,500-square-foot section of roof is beyond its useful life and leaks into the gym, said Damion Spahr, project executive of the district’s construction manager, SitelogIQ. The gym will require...
Greensburg Salem employees slated for salary, health insurance increases in new contract
Greensburg Salem employees will receive an average annual salary increase of more than 3% across the next five years through a contract approved by the school board. The contract grants an average annual salary increase of 3.19% each year to nearly 200 teachers, nurses and psychologists in the district, Superintendent...
Westmoreland, Allegheny community colleges aim to increase graduation rates with national program
Andrew Barnette wants to spend more time reading names while standing on the stage at Westmoreland County Community College’s graduation ceremony. “I am privileged to be asked every year to read names at graduation,” said Barnette, dean of the School of Art, Humanities, Social Sciences and Public Service. “It’s the...
Point Park University faculty give initial vote of no confidence in its president
The assembly representing Point Park University faculty passed an initial vote of no confidence this week regarding President Chris Brussalis, citing issues including inadequate communication and lack of shared governance. Of the 80 faculty present during Monday’s closed session, 63 later voted in favor, 11 opposed, and six in attendance...
A couple’s passion for early childhood learning spawns hub at PennWest California
Giving children an early jump on learning is about to become a more visible endeavor on Pennsylvania Western University’s California campus thanks to the latest gift from a couple who has championed the cause. Tom Rutledge, a 1977 alumnus who headed Charter Communications, and his wife Karen Rutledge, announced a...
Greensburg Central Catholic to host open house for prospective students
Greensburg Central Catholic Junior-Senior High School will host an open house on Nov. 3 for prospective students. The open house will start at 1 p.m. Students and their parents will be able to tour the campus and classrooms, connect with members of student clubs and sports teams, meet the faculty...
Point Park University unveils proposal for sports and recreation venue
When he was named Point Park University president last year, Chris Brussalis touted his school’s potential to spark a “Downtown Renaissance 3” with targeted development including a new venue for sports and recreation. On Thursday, Brussalis unveiled a sizable part of that vision for the Golden Triangle. He and the...
Pennsylvania state system seeks $40.3M funding boost, eyeing 7th year of frozen tuition
The board governing Pennsylvania’s 10 state-owned universities is asking for a 6.5% increase, or $40.3 million more, in next year’s state budget. This increase could allow for a seventh annual tuition freeze. The request for 2025-26, approved unanimously by the State System’s Board of Governors Thursday, would bring the state...
Carnegie Mellon reports decrease in Black and white enrollment after race admissions ruling
The portion of Black and other students of color declined in this fall’s entering class at Carnegie Mellon University, following the first recruiting cycle since the U.S. Supreme Court barred consideration of race in admissions. The share of new students who are white also slipped, but Asian student enrollment rose,...
Carnegie Mellon among 40 private universities named in federal price-fixing lawsuit
Forty of the nation’s leading private colleges and universities, including Carnegie Mellon University, are accused in a federal class-action lawsuit of conspiring with the College Board to, in effect, overcharge students. The suit was filed Monday in Chicago before the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. The...
Oklahoma amends request for Bibles that initially appeared to match only version backed by Trump
OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma has amended its request for 55,000 Bibles to be placed in public schools that initially matched a version of the holy book endorsed by former President Donald Trump. The request was amended Monday and no longer requires the Bibles to include U.S. historical documents such as...
Pitt offloads sprawling but underused Harmar research park for $5 million
Even as it plans for growth, the University of Pittsburgh has reduced its footprint by 85 acres through the sale of a sprawling but underused research park in Harmar. The $5 million transaction of Pittsburgh Applied Research Center (U-PARC) in Harmar was completed Sept. 24, said Pitt spokesman Jared Stonesifer....
