PASSHE Institutions Merging

[IUPNation]

Rep Scott's proposal (not even a filed piece of legislation) is to study consolidation. Probably take several years to get the study committee selected and get preliminary results. Then another few years to get the final data, debate various methods of reorganizing, and draft a final report. Then at least a year of debate in the state legislature before finally voting one way or the other. Then, assuming it passes, probably a four or five year transition phase.

Bottom line, maybe current 6th graders are affected but more likely current 1st graders!!!

But it needs to be done. All of those tiny districts in the Yinzerlands do not make any sense. What worked for 1955 is not going to work in 2025.

Indiana County should have one district with multiple high schools. You don’t need all those admins for a county with a small
population.

[boatcapt]

A lot of the rural school districts will be impacted, as will quite a few in and around Allegheny County, but most school districts in the collar counties around Philadelphia shouldn't be impacted dramatically (though I'm sure Jenkintown and the Bristols might be the exceptions in the Philadelphia area - come to think of it, there are probably a couple of districts in Delaware County which could stand to merge as well).

Rep Scott's proposal (not even a filed piece of legislation) is to study consolidation. Probably take several years to get the study committee selected and get preliminary results. Then another few years to get the final data, debate various methods of reorganizing, and draft a final report. Then at least a year of debate in the state legislature before finally voting one way or the other. Then, assuming it passes, probably a four or five year transition phase.

Bottom line, maybe current 6th graders are effected but more likely current 1st graders!!!

[ctrabs74]

Finally..somebody in Harrisburg with some sense.

School district consolidation is long overdue.

https://vista.today/2025/06/greg-sco...box=1749827904

A lot of the rural school districts will be impacted, as will quite a few in and around Allegheny County, but most school districts in the collar counties around Philadelphia shouldn't be impacted dramatically (though I'm sure Jenkintown and the Bristols might be the exceptions in the Philadelphia area - come to think of it, there are probably a couple of districts in Delaware County which could stand to merge as well).

[IUPNation]

Finally..somebody in Harrisburg with some sense.

School district consolidation is long overdue.

https://vista.today/2025/06/greg-sco...box=1749827904

[boatcapt]

Just admit that you are a mistrusting loon. Consultants can't be trusted. The government can't be trusted. Nonprofits can't be trusted. You'd be a great character on the X Files.

The Penn State report is brutal and honest. Penn State's branch campus situation is so similar to PASSHE. They overbuilt regional campuses and most are now located in communities with nonexistent birth rates and rusting economies. Academically, they are far too general to distinguish themselves, rely too much on impersonal online classes, and don't offer much to their communities other than jobs. When you overbuild for decades, there are looming facilities lifecycle needs that they can't afford. Nearly every campus operates at a deficit that has to be absorbed by the mothership. The best response would be the nuclear option and nobody in their right mind would bring that upon their self. Only 2 or 3 campuses out of 20+ are viable and only one or two are truly distinctive.

The PASSHE mergers have shown that you can't trim your way out of financial issues caused by piss poor execution of bad plans.

As a former government bureaucrat who became a consultant for 10+ years who now works for a not for profit, I think I understand the processes of the three pretty well. These three groups are primarily paid based on the quantity and weight of the reports they prepare.

[Fightingscot82]

Non profit staff...even better.

Just admit that you are a mistrusting loon. Consultants can't be trusted. The government can't be trusted. Nonprofits can't be trusted. You'd be a great character on the X Files.

The Penn State report is brutal and honest. Penn State's branch campus situation is so similar to PASSHE. They overbuilt regional campuses and most are now located in communities with nonexistent birth rates and rusting economies. Academically, they are far too general to distinguish themselves, rely too much on impersonal online classes, and don't offer much to their communities other than jobs. When you overbuild for decades, there are looming facilities lifecycle needs that they can't afford. Nearly every campus operates at a deficit that has to be absorbed by the mothership. The best response would be the nuclear option and nobody in their right mind would bring that upon their self. Only 2 or 3 campuses out of 20+ are viable and only one or two are truly distinctive.

The PASSHE mergers have shown that you can't trim your way out of financial issues caused by piss poor execution of bad plans.

[boatcapt]

[QUOTE=Fightingscot82;n890849]

Penn State isn't government. They're a 501c3 non-profit that is state regulated and receives annual state funding in exchange for board seats.

Non profit staff...even better.

[Fightingscot82]

[QUOTE=boatcapt;n890844]

State employees are not exempt from gobbaldy-gook. Where do you think most government consultants got their start!

Government and consultant reports operate on the rule of gross tonnage...The validity of a report is directly proportional to its weight, or, why use five words to say something when you can use 20 (along with a table) to convey the same thing!

Penn State isn't government. They're a 501c3 non-profit that is state regulated and receives annual state funding in exchange for board seats.

[boatcapt]

[QUOTE=Fightingscot82;n890722]

Gobbaldy-gook - Lots of unnecessary words used to convey what should be simply stated information. Often used in an attempt to either hide the underlying message or in consultant word, used to give the impression that the study the consultant conducted was worth the money they were given.[/QUOTE]

Comprehension: the action or capability of understanding something.

This was an internal study within Penn State. They didn't pay any consultants. Its right in the first couple pages.

State employees are not exempt from gobbaldy-gook. Where do you think most government consultants got their start!

Government and consultant reports operate on the rule of gross tonnage...The validity of a report is directly proportional to its weight, or, why use five words to say something when you can use 20 (along with a table) to convey the same thing!

[Fightingscot82]

[QUOTE=boatcapt;n890705]

Gobbaldy-gook - Lots of unnecessary words used to convey what should be simply stated information. Often used in an attempt to either hide the underlying message or in consultant word, used to give the impression that the study the consultant conducted was worth the money they were given.[/QUOTE]

Comprehension: the action or capability of understanding something.

This was an internal study within Penn State. They didn't pay any consultants. Its right in the first couple pages.

[boatcapt]

That was more of a sarcastic response more than anything.

Gobbaldy-gook - Lots of unnecessary words used to convey what should be simply stated information. Often used in an attempt to either hide the underlying message or in consultant word, used to give the impression that the study the consultant conducted was worth the money they were given.

[ctrabs74]

Bureaucratic gobbledy-gook to you, otherwise standard industry jargon understood by those receiving this report. Unsure what words you had trouble with.

That was more of a sarcastic response more than anything.

[Fightingscot82]

After seemingly years of speculation, seven Penn State campuses (aka "PSU-Lite") will be closing at the end of the 2026-2027 academic year:

https://psu-gatsby-files-prod.s3.ama...mmendation.pdf

If you don't feel like reading 140+ pages of bureaucratic gobbledy-gook, here's the campuses which are slated for closure:

DuBois, Fayette, Mont Alto, New Kensington, Shenango, Wilkes-Barre and York

Conversely, five PSU-Lite campuses would receive "significant investment" from the PSU system:

Beaver, Greater Allegheny (McKeesport), Hazleton, Schuylkill and Scranton

Bureaucratic gobbledy-gook to you, otherwise standard industry jargon understood by those receiving this report. Unsure what words you had trouble with.

Penn State's problem is similar to what GE went through a decade or so ago. State College is the brand that everyone knows and recognizes, but the entire entity is much larger and doing things the average person would be surprised to learn. Some examples:

- "Penn State" is in State College where the Nittany Lions play at Beaver Stadium and students eat Creamery ice cream before rioting on College Avenue. But there are 22 additional campuses and a fully online division that operate in near exclusivity of State College.

- Penn State has a medical school not in State College but in Hershey.

- Penn State operates a hospital division, Penn State Health, that has 6 hospitals, 5 urgent cares, and 19 imaging centers NOT ONE in State College or adjacent communities. The only hospital in State College is run by the Penn Highlands system out of DuBois.

- Penn State has TWO law schools on two different campuses: Dickinson School of Law in Carlisle and Penn State Law in State College. That is 100% accurate. Not one law school with two locations. Two separate law schools.

- Penn State as our Land Grant operates the Cooperative Extension assisting farmers with centers in every single Pennsylvania county (Penn State was founded to promote agricultural science).

- Penn State also operates "outreach centers" to connect folks in the city limits of Philadelphia and Pittsburgh with Penn State programs.

- State State operates a college athletic conference, the Penn State University Athletic Conference (just hear Vanilla Ice explaining its PSUAC, not PSAC), for 13 of the branch campuses to compete against one another at the community college level USCAA.

[IUPNation]

After seemingly years of speculation, seven Penn State campuses (aka "PSU-Lite") will be closing at the end of the 2026-2027 academic year:

https://psu-gatsby-files-prod.s3.ama...mmendation.pdf

If you don't feel like reading 140+ pages of bureaucratic gobbledy-gook, here's the campuses which are slated for closure:

DuBois, Fayette, Mont Alto, New Kensington, Shenango, Wilkes-Barre and York

Conversely, five PSU-Lite campuses would receive "significant investment" from the PSU system:

Beaver, Greater Allegheny (McKeesport), Hazleton, Schuylkill and Scranton

Thry should only have 2-3 branches at most….

[ctrabs74]

After seemingly years of speculation, seven Penn State campuses (aka "PSU-Lite") will be closing at the end of the 2026-2027 academic year:

https://psu-gatsby-files-prod.s3.ama...mmendation.pdf

If you don't feel like reading 140+ pages of bureaucratic gobbledy-gook, here's the campuses which are slated for closure:

DuBois, Fayette, Mont Alto, New Kensington, Shenango, Wilkes-Barre and York

Conversely, five PSU-Lite campuses would receive "significant investment" from the PSU system:

Beaver, Greater Allegheny (McKeesport), Hazleton, Schuylkill and Scranton