Latest news with #StateCollegeAreaSchoolDistrict
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
SCASD settles lawsuit with parochial students who were barred from extracurriculars
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (WTAJ) —The United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania has confirmed that the State College Area School District has settled a lawsuit claiming that it discriminated against children from parochial schools. Court documents show that the district and the board of directors were being sued over accusations that extracurricular activities and education programs provided by the school to students, homeschool students and charter school students were not open to students from parochial schools. However, on June 10, the district agreed to settle with the students and guardians who were suing. Along with the announcement, court documents showed that several things were agreed upon and will be in place moving forward. Penn Highlands Community College's dual enrollment program helping local students The district agreed to make extracurricular activities and programs available to all eligible students in the district while also imposing student selection criteria. However, parochial students whose schools sponsor interscholastic sports will not be eligible to participate in the same sports at the State College Area School District. Similarly, the same rules will apply to any after-school program or club. If the parochial school offers the program itself or one of a similar nature, then the student will only be eligible for the one offered by the parochial school. WTAJ reached out to the State College Area School District for comment on the settlement, and the school solicitor gave the following in response. 'In the context of the issue of whether students who reside in the school district and attend parochial schools can participate in school district sponsored sports activities and teams, the school district had always believed that the school district could not permit such participation because, among other reasons, PIAA disfavored it. Through the litigation, the school district determined that this is not always the case. Because PIAA's position on this subject is not clear, the Consent Order provides essentially that PIAA must first approve of parochial school student participation on school district sports teams before there is any obligation on the part of the school district to permit the participation,' Scott Etter said. They also noted that when it comes to sports, if the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) declares a parochial student ineligible, then the school may also declare them ineligible without violating the agreement. The court also ordered the school district in the next 30 days to pay the 'agreed upon sum' and that the case is now closed. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
State College school board member to resign. How will SCASD fill the vacancy?
A State College Area School District board member will resign later this month before moving across the country with his family. Dan Kolbe will step down from his post as a board member on June 18 as he and his family prepare to move to Chicago for work, he said. Speaking briefly before the board at Monday's meeting, the Patton Township resident said he's proud of the board's work since he received election to a four-year term in 2023. 'This decision is not an easy one, as the work we do is deeply meaningful, and it has been incredibly rewarding to work alongside such a dedicated team,' Kolbe wrote in his resignation note to the board. 'Serving on the school board has been a privilege, allowing me to engage with our talented teachers and staff, and see firsthand the positive impact they have on our community and students. As I move forward in my journey, I will continue to advocate for every child to have access to an education where they feel safe, valued and seen.' Under Pennsylvania's school code, State College's board must appoint an interim member to fill Kolbe's seat within 30 days of his resignation. The board is expected to begin accepting applications from registered voters who live in the district over a two-week period later in June, the district said. Interviews and the appointment of an interim board member would follow in early July. The interim board member who ultimately fills the vacancy will serve in that capacity until Nov. 5's general election because Kolbe served less than half of his elected term. State College's district said Centre County's Democratic and Republican parties can both nominate an additional candidate who, if elected, would fill a two-year interim term on the board that would start in December. Following Kolbe's resignation, five board seats are now up for grabs in November's election. Four candidates who cross-filed earned party nominations for full-term board positions following May's primary election.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
SCASD Board of Directors Approves 2025-2026 budget with tax hike, staff additions
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (WTAJ) — Property taxes are going up for State College Area School District residents after the school board approved its 2025-2026 budget on Monday night, aiming to meet rising cost and add key staff positions. The $211.5 million final budget includes a 4% property tax increase, raising the district's millage rate by 2.0369 mills to 52.9597. For a home with the median assessed value of $74,208, that's an average increase of $147 per year. The tax hike is expected to generate most of the district's $6.6 million increase in local revenue, with 79% of total funding coming from local sources. Total revenue is projected at $207.5 million, while expenses are up 3% from last year. The district's biggest spending areas remain salaries and benefits, which make up about 74% of the budget. Mandatory contributions to the Pennsylvania School Employees Retirement System are up $2.1 million from the previous year, while charter school costs now account for $7.1 million, 3% of the overall budget. The board approved several key personnel additions to address growing needs. These include a special education teacher, business education teacher for a new personal finance course, school psychologist, athletics department manager, special education clerk, and a physical plant custodian. New recurring costs are also impacting the budget, including higher rates for substitutes, utilities, extracurricular security, and transportation. Cost-saving benefits from the district's Power Purchase Agreement will not impact the current budget cycle. The board also accepted the resignation of member Dan Kolbe, who is relocating to Chicago. Applications for his seat will open later this month, and a new board member will be selected in early July to serve until the November municipal election. Other board approvals included new textbooks, several employee handbooks, a suicide prevention plan, and a partnership with UPMC for an intensive outpatient program. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Yahoo
Police: State College teens charged in stolen school trucks, vape shop burglary attempt
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (WTAJ) — Two teenagers are facing a list of felony and misdemeanor charges after allegedly stealing school district vehicles, attempting to burglarize a downtown business, and damaging neighborhood homes with a BB gun, according to police. Norman Paul Ghaner, 18, of Boalsburg, and Cameron Mojica Goodman, 18, of Port Matilda were identified through school surveillance footage in connection to the May 17 theft of two State College Area School District trucks, according to the criminal complaint. Ghaner is currently free on $7,500 unsecured bail and is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on May 28 before Magisterial District Judge Casey M. McClain, court records show. Goodman's case is listed as inactive as of May 23. According to the criminal complaint filed by State College Police, surveillance video from State College Area High School showed three males, Ghaner, Goodman, and a 16-year-old juvenile, approaching parked vehicles on the evening of May 17. The trio put on ski masks before stealing a white 2012 Ford truck and a red 2005 Ford F-450 dump truck. Ghaner was identified as the driver. The same night, the white 2012 Ford truck was seen returning to the high school, where the passenger exited, stole the red 2005 Ford F-450 dump truck, and both trucks were then driven from the scene, according to the criminal complaint. In the early morning hours of May 19, police say Ghaner and Goodman attempted to break into Smoke Valley, a vape shop on East College Avenue. According to the affidavit, the teens shattered the glass door but were unable to gain entry. The teens later parked at Mount Nittany Middle School and were seen entering another parked vehicle before fleeing the area in one of the stolen trucks. At approximately 1 a.m. that morning, a State College officer spotted the white 2012 Ford truck on Discovery Drive and attempted a traffic stop. Police say Ghaner, again identified as the driver, fled at high speed, ultimately abandoning the vehicle and running away on foot. The vehicle was left in drive, according to the complaint. Later that day, police interviewed the 16-year-old involved, who admitted to his role and identified Ghaner and Goodman as co-conspirators. He told police the group had walked from Weis Markets to the high school, took the first vehicle, and later returned to steal the second. According to the affidavit, he also confirmed the group's involvement in the attempted burglary at Smoke Valley and a separate vandalism incident involving a BB gun. Police say two homes on Logan Avenue and West Foster Avenue had windows damaged by pellets, with repairs estimated to exceed $500. A witness reported seeing a white work truck, matching the description of the stolen vehicle, fleeing the scene. Neither Ghaner nor Goodman have valid driver's licenses, and police say none of the teens had permission to operate school district vehicles. Ghaner is charged with felony theft, conspiracy, burglary, and receiving stolen property, as well as misdemeanor fleeing from police and corruption of minors. Additional summary charges include driving without a license and criminal mischief, according to court records. Goodman faces a similar set of charges. His preliminary hearing date has not been listed. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
SCASD moves one step closer to approving 2025-26 budget, includes tax increase
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (WTAJ) – State College Area School District (SCASD) is seeking a 4% tax increase, citing inflation and other costs as the reason. The district's board voted to approve the 2025-26 Proposed Final Budget, which includes a tax increase. This would make the real estate tax rate 52.9597 mills according to a press release sent out by the district. The 4% increase is equal to the district's Act 1 Index, meaning it is the maximum rate it could raise taxes by this year. Ferguson Township to host Arbor Day celebration According to Randy Brown, the finance and operations officer for SCASD, the rise in cost for personnel contracts, utility bills and security services are all contributors to the suggestion of a tax increase. This comes after the district already raised taxes last year, a move which he says did not do enough to offset the growing costs, due to 'the inflationary pressures, as well as lack of increase in real estate revenue.' The board also discussed the uncertainty of the national economy and how that would impact the budget. 'We have increased some budget areas to, hopefully, offset some increased expenses from the uncertainty in the markets,' Brown said. 'The other thing that we will do is we will try to anticipate areas where goods are going to have faster increases in costs. And so we will buy ahead as much as we can.' According to the press release, the proposed final budget includes $207,523,588 in revenue – 79% of which will come from property taxes. Before anything is set in stone, there may be additional items presented to the board that could help the district bring the increase down. 'There still could be some impacts that, some items that are impacted that the final budget proposal – it may not be the exact document that they see on June 2 that they were presented with last night,' Brown said. However, the possibility of a decrease happening for this budget is unlikely. 'This year, because of the economic uncertainty, because of the $20 million building project that we have at Mount Nittany Elementary School going on right now, and the upcoming Park Forest Middle School project, as well as the district-wide facility master plan planning that we are working on, I would not expect that tax rate to decrease too much,' Brown said. Now that the district's board has approved the proposed final budget, they are required to give the community at least a 15-day notice that the final budget will be approved on June 2. Between now and then, the board will host a public hearing for people to come and learn more about the budget and weigh in. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
