PublicSource | News for a better Pittsburgh (https://www.publicsource.org/author/tylisa-c-johnson/)
TyLisa C. Johnson is the education reporter at PublicSource. She’s passionate about telling compelling human stories that intersect with complex issues affecting marginalized groups. Before joining PublicSource, she wrote stories about a range of issues from poverty and hunger to crime and public libraries at publications around the country, including The Dallas Morning News, Tampa Bay Times and The Philadelphia Inquirer. She has freelanced for publications including Business Insider and The Points Guy. She’s a proud 2017 graduate of Florida A&M University, and can often be found planning a trip somewhere new or crocheting a scarf. Pronouns: She/her
The district maintains that the rule, enforced and upheld by the school board, exists because staff become more embedded in the community and connected with families and students. Opponents to the rule say it's discriminatory and impractical because it only applies to some staff, amid rising living costs in the city and stagnant wages.
Pittsburgh Public students won’t return to brick-and-mortar school buildings until April 6 at the earliest, following a decision by the school board Wednesday evening and a two-day, 127-speaker public hearing in the days leading up to the decision.
The board approved a resolution in a 7-2 vote, following amendments, to keep students at home in remote learning through the beginning of the school year’s fourth quarter. Board members Sala Udin and Devon Taliaferro voted against the amended resolution, signaling a desire to bring students and teachers back sooner than April. Board members Pam Harbin and Terry Kennedy presented an amended version of the original resolution at Wednesday’s meeting, which had more than 1,000 stream viewers, with additions to address transportation challenges and growing student needs. Among the changes to the resolution:
The district is expected to conduct a current survey of student needs for support, transportation availability, staffing levels and building health and safety protocols. A parent/guardian survey will be circulated on or before Feb.
Welcome to "By The Book: PGH K-12 Bulletins," which provides updates on emerging and ever changing news in the Pittsburgh K-12 education landscape. With more than 40 school districts across Allegheny County, the Bulletins will update you on the region's latest education news, including close coverage of the Pittsburgh Public Schools, other Allegheny County school districts, the Pennsylvania Department of Education and other important agencies, which serve thousands of Pittsburgh families. Please check back frequently and email tylisa@publicsource.org with questions, tips or Bulletin ideas. Follow along on Twitter with the hashtag #PGHed for news updates on Pittsburgh education. 1/20/21: Another in-person instruction delay on the table for PPS
It may be April before Pittsburgh Public students see the inside of school buildings again.
Hours before Joseph R. Biden would be sworn in as America’s 46th president on Wednesday, thousands of flags swayed and fluttered in darkness on the National Mall. The flags dot the grounds in place of Americans who were unable to travel to Washington, D.C., for the inauguration due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and increased security threats. It was an unusual start to mark a momentous shift in American leadership. Safety concerns have heightened in the days since pro-Trump rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 while lawmakers certified Biden's win in the November 2020 election.
Welcome to "By The Book: PGH K-12 Bulletins," which provides updates on emerging and ever changing news in the Pittsburgh K-12 education landscape. With more than 40 school districts across Allegheny County, the Bulletins will update you on the region's latest education news, including close coverage of the Pittsburgh Public Schools, other Allegheny County school districts, the Pennsylvania Department of Education and other important agencies, which serve thousands of Pittsburgh families. Please check back frequently and email tylisa@publicsource.org with questions, tips or Bulletin ideas. Follow along on Twitter with the hashtag #PGHed for news updates on Pittsburgh education. 12/16/20: Pittsburgh Public passes 2021 budget without a tax increase.
With the weight of an unprecedented year on their shoulders amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, members of the Pittsburgh Public Schools board decided against a proposed property tax increase and adopted a $673.84 million school budget for 2021 on Wednesday. The district will keep its millage rate at 9.95 in the upcoming year. However, with that vote, the budget deficit is expected to grow by about $4 million, Chief Financial Officer Ronald Joseph said at the meeting. In remarks to the board at the top of the budget discussion, Superintendent Anthony Hamlet asked the group to consider the tax increase to 10.21 mills and said that it was just one strategy of a multi-pronged approach by the administration to address a $34.8 million deficit — now increased by $4 million without the tax increase. The plan includes reducing expenditures.
Much was at stake in the 2021 budget.
The first day of classes for Pittsburgh Public Schools [PPS] was overtaken by hackers who interrupted virtual-learning lessons with offensive comments, racial slurs and a possible pornographic image.
PublicSource consulted with experts and resources at The U.S. Department of Education about best practices school districts should employ to manage student privacy and personal information. Here’s what we learned.
"As you get more highly segregated, you increase poverty here, because that's what we do in Pittsburgh, unfortunately," said A+ Schools Executive Director James Fogarty in an interview about the organization's latest community report about Pittsburgh Public Schools.
Tarentum, Oakdale and Glassport are among the Allegheny County towns that voted for Barack Obama in 2012 and Donald Trump in 2016. With all eyes on the battleground state of Pennsylvania, families are divided, and there's anxiety in the Main Street air.
