Philadelphia
SEPTA plans to reduce its service by 20% beginning in August. If those cuts go through, transportation officials say more than 55,000 Philadelphia students who rely on the public transit system will have a more difficult time getting to school.
Education leaders learned of the freeze Monday, hours before the money was due to be available.
The wellness check requirement, passed into state law last year, was inspired in part by the death of a 12-year-old Commonwealth Charter Academy student.
Last school year, most of the district’s standalone middle schools enrolled less than half the number of students they were built for.
While it’s not quite the ‘year-round school’ Mayor Cherelle Parker campaigned on, the initiative will offer before- and after-school programs and camp activities at 15 new schools.
Board members said that low test scores at KIPP North Philadelphia Academy and People for People Charter School led them to start a process that could close the schools.
The district ‘knowingly and regularly’ failed to make necessary asbestos repairs and endangered students, according to federal officials.
The current state budget has left schools with a $4.5 billion ‘adequacy gap.’ City education leaders and the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers want that to shrink.
Philadelphia and other school districts statewide are struggling to find enough certified teachers to fill vacancies, a trend that advocates for students say is diminishing the quality of kids’ education.
Universal Vare Charter School will not pursue renewing its charter agreement. District officials have not said whether they will take over the school or shutter it.
The likelihood of a strike is unclear. But if PFT leaders do call a strike of their 14,000 members, it could disrupt the opening days of the new school year. The 2025-26 school year begins August 18 for staff and August 25 for students.
The newly approved city budget represents a missed opportunity to significantly increase funding for public schools, education advocates say.
School district officials promised that residents would inform its facility planning process. But community leaders and parents say they’re not being heard.
Kahn-Tineta Smith, a former paraprofessional, learned how to advocate for her children outside the classroom and help them stay on task inside it.
The legislation is part of a several year effort to boost oversight and cut spending on cyber charter schools.
Jeffco’s policy says that in most cases, transgender students should room with other students that share their gender identity. The district says its policy is grounded in state anti-discrimination law.
The board had rejected the Early College Charter School of Philadelphia’s application in February, a move that raised eyebrows.
The school board initially planned to consider an agreement with the Department of Justice over an investigation into its asbestos management program at its Thursday meeting. But Board President Reginald Streater said the DOJ was not ready to proceed.
Two proposed bills would create resources and incentives for districts to teach students to read using research-backed strategies, including phonics and word decoding.
Money that was supposed to go to vendors for flood damage repair and services for students with disabilities was instead diverted to “malicious actors” bank accounts, according to the City Controller.