Public Education

The Independent Fiscal Office’s finding that “there is little or no correlation” between spending on public schools and test scores raised eyebrows among Pa. legislators.

Masks will be optional for students and staff at Catholic schools in Bucks, Chesco, Delco, and Montco. Philly schools will still follow city guidance.

The Democratic governor’s proposed final budget includes a historic increase in education spending.

Under the governor's proposal, 20 districts — primarily cities with the lowest household incomes — would get more than half of the $1.55 billion.

Witnesses include a Christian private school leader and the executive director of the House Appropriations Committee.

The district says cloth masks are no longer considered effective, and will be distributing KN95s to school staff.

Twenty one percent of qualified candidates have leadership experience in the School District of Philadelphia.

The plan comes about a week before Gov. Tom Wolf unveils the final budget proposal of his two-term tenure.

The district will enter into a memorandum of agreement with Penn, which will direct about $800,000 per year to the K-8 school in West Philadelphia.

One lawsuit out of Montgomery County says axing mask policies forces parents of medically fragile school children to pull their children out of in-person learning.

The local Afghan community, centered in Northeast Philadelphia, has nearly doubled with the influx of evacuees, who worry for family and friends left behind.

About 400 people live-streamed Thursday night’s meeting. More than a dozen spoke, protesting the district’s continued mask mandate.

Even as Philly officials vow to reduce omicron’s interruptions to in-person learning, the school district’s shifts to virtual are causing angst.

Secretary of Education Noe Ortega is a defendant in the trial. But he struck a neutral tone as a witness, mirroring the Wolf administration’s overall tact.

A group organized a virtual book drive so the community can buy titles the district has removed or has plans to remove from school libraries and lessons.