Pittsburgh Public school board candidates kick off campaigns

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Education) 3/11 6:48A By Megan Tomasic / Pittsburgh Po

Pittsburgh school board candidate slate launches ahead of Tuesday’s filing deadline

WESA 3/10 11:33P Jillian Forstadt

They’re endorsed by Black Women for a Better Education, which has successfully elected several candidates to the school board in the last few years.

What do PPS students want to see for the district’s future? More access at every school

WESA 3/9 11:34P Jillian Forstadt

WESA went to the PPS Student Voice conference to ask students what they think about the district's proposed changes, as well as their hopes for the district’s future.

University of Pittsburgh student from Virginia missing in Dominican Republic

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Education) 3/9 5:32A Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Pittsburgh's annual Eradicate Hate summit launches youth webinar series

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Education) 3/7 7:08A Laura Esposito / Pittsburgh Post

Pa. advocates call on PIAA to revise policies aligned with Trump’s transgender athlete ban

WESA 3/6 11:31P Jillian Forstadt

Kristina Moon, a senior attorney at the Education Law Center, said the changes violate state and federal civil rights protections for transgender students.

Calls for cyber charter reform intensify after audit found ballooning revenue, surpluses

WESA 3/6 8:00A Katie Meyer | Spotlight PA

The review was led by Republican Auditor General Tim DeFoor, who identified “uncommon” spending on gift cards and real estate.

Pittsburgh Public Schools issues more than 9,000 tickets for illegal bus passing

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Education) 2/28 6:24A By Megan Tomasic / Pittsburgh Po

PPS board approves controversial governance policies, cuts campaign finance restriction

WESA 2/26 11:33P Jillian Forstadt

Board members say the policy changes will increase transparency and make the district more efficient — though some parents are less trusting of their origins and reach.

The Pa. children left behind by free lunch programs, and the proposed $250M solution

WESA 2/26 11:32P Sarah Boden | Spotlight PA

Hunger affects students’ grades and health, but thousands of Pennsylvania kids fall just outside the income threshold for even reduced lunch. Advocates say free lunch for all is the solution.

Penn State president says the university will close some campuses

WESA 2/25 7:12A Sydney Roach

Penn State's administration says they are considering which campuses to close after the 2026-27 academic year. President Neeli Bendapudi shared a message to the Penn State community Tuesday, saying "we cannot continue with business as usual."

Pa. education department considering options — 'none of them pretty' — if federal agency axed

WESA 2/24 11:30P Tom Riese

State Education Secretary Carrie Rowe told Pa. House members Monday that Pennsylvania could not easily offset the $1.6 billion that comes from the federal Education Department should the Trump administration eliminate the agency. Republicans...

As research universities head to court, WESA analysis finds NIH grants lagging during Trump admin

WESA 2/20 11:35P Kiley Koscinski, Patrick Doyle

Experts in education research funding, former NIH staffers and researchers themselves said it’s hard to narrow down one cause for the delay, but they all agreed that confusion created by a flurry of executive orders dismissing certain research...

Pa. auditor general finds cyber charter school revenues 'excessive,' calls for tuition reform

WESA 2/20 11:34P Jillian Forstadt

Wednesday’s audit found five cyber charter schools held in their fund balances a combined $619 million in taxpayer funds as of June 2023.

Pittsburgh council members say PPS income tax diversion lawsuit addresses ‘elephant in the room’

WESA 2/19 11:32P Julia Maruca, Jillian Forstadt

The complaint, filed against the City of Pittsburgh, asserts that Mt. Oliver residents are paying a greater earned income tax than legally required.