PASSHE Institutions Merging

[Ship69]

If it's a county wide district and they don't run the schools equally then they have an admin issue. Parents should sue....

It is not a matter of "running the schools equally." The schools located in wealthier areas where many kids are the sons or daughters of professional people are usually going to have more kids who get a jump on learning. Family structures tend to be stronger as well. And the areas are often too far apart to solve it by busing kids from one area to another. I'm not against county districts — I think they can be useful in some areas — but they are not necessarily going to be a panacea for all that ails some schools in rural areas. For that matter, I know of no city school district where every school performs at the same level.

[IUPNation]

Maybe? But a lot of those communities are in similar economic situations. It’s pretty rare that an affluent community directly abuts a struggling one.

Then it makes more sense to fund schools from the county level. The biggest complaint I hear in my area is that the schools are getting too big because families keep
moving here for the school. Nobody should have to move to get better schools. Shouldn’t McKeesport High and Mt Lebanon High offer the same opportunities? Whst we have now is educational apartheid.

[Fightingscot82]

Then it makes more sense to fund schools from the county level. The biggest complaint I hear in my area is that the schools are getting too big because families keep
moving here for the school. Nobody should have to move to get better schools. Shouldn’t McKeesport High and Mt Lebanon High offer the same opportunities? Whst we have now is educational apartheid.

They're two very distinct communities and should offer the opportunities those communities want.

[IUPNation]

It is not a matter of "running the schools equally." The schools located in wealthier areas where many kids are the sons or daughters of professional people are usually going to have more kids who get a jump on learning. Family structures tend to be stronger as well. And the areas are often too far apart to solve it by busing kids from one area to another. I'm not against county districts — I think they can be useful in some areas — but they are not necessarily going to be a panacea for all that ails some schools in rural areas. For that matter, I know of no city school district where every school performs at the same level.

No they don’t…Philly has some outstanding public schools and some very bad ones…

Its biggest issue is they have a lot of old buildings that need to go. They are not conducive for today’s educational needs.

[IUPNation]

They're two very distinct communities and should offer the opportunities those communities want.

You don’t think every parent in McKeesport would send their kid to Mt. Lebanon in a heartbeat?

[Fightingscot82]

You don’t think every parent in McKeesport would send their kid to Mt. Lebanon in a heartbeat?

Yes and no. Mt. Lebanon is a former redline community and is still built around upper middle class families. Its one of those communities where you overpay big time for the status of living in it. Its not cheap to live in Mt. Lebanon. My house would be worth 50% more in Mt. Lebanon and my property tax rate would be 50% higher too. At least you get what you pay for in Lebo. The last remaining light rail line does go through Mt. Lebanon, so its possible to live there without a car, but the district doesn't offer bussing (holdover of the redline era), so you have to walk several hilly blocks or drop off in the car you might not have. The most common household from McKeesport Area SD is a black family with a $42k household income; the school district is 65% non-white - Mt Lebanon is 96% white and the median household income is $80k.

If they could afford to move to Mt Lebo, they're going to have a hard time acclimating.

[IUPNation]

Yes and no. Mt. Lebanon is a former redline community and is still built around upper middle class families. Its one of those communities where you overpay big time for the status of living in it. Its not cheap to live in Mt. Lebanon. My house would be worth 50% more in Mt. Lebanon and my property tax rate would be 50% higher too. At least you get what you pay for in Lebo. The last remaining light rail line does go through Mt. Lebanon, so its possible to live there without a car, but the district doesn't offer bussing (holdover of the redline era), so you have to walk several hilly blocks or drop off in the car you might not have. The most common household from McKeesport Area SD is a black family with a $42k household income; the school district is 65% non-white - Mt Lebanon is 96% white and the median household income is $80k.

If they could afford to move to Mt Lebo, they're going to have a hard time acclimating.

If I can acclimate to living 4 years in Indiana County coming from Norristown, they’d be fine!!

[boatcapt]

This discussion is why it probably will never happen. People just don't have favorite ideas, they have favorite ideas and are downright hostile to any other idea!!

[Fightingscot82]

Siena Heights University in southern Michigan between Detroit and Toledo announced it is closing in May 2026. They have an NAIA football team and at times were rumored to be a target of the GMAC and GLIAC.

[Fightingscot82]

DOGE cuts in the Department of Defense resulted in the elimination and reduction of ROTC programs on several PSAC campuses.

Two PSAC schools are totally losing their Army ROTC program: Clarion and Millersville, and some other D2 schools that are include Truman State, Elizabeth City State, St. Augustine's, and West Virginia State.

Some schools are having their ROTC units downgraded to "Extension Units" meaning they'll still exist but the administration will be handled by staff at another schools. These include Lock Haven, Slippery Rock, Drexel, and Dickinson. Unsure what schools these units will be extensions of.

Another classification is "Crosstown Units" where everything will be merged with neighboring schools. A hypothetical example would be Pitt and Carnegie Mellon sharing a unit since they're across the street from another. No PSAC schools affected, but one D2, Central State, will likely share with Cedarville and Wilberforce.

I'm not sure how this helps anything. A dripping faucet isn't the cause of water bill problems.

[IUPNation]

DOGE cuts in the Department of Defense resulted in the elimination and reduction of ROTC programs on several PSAC campuses.

Two PSAC schools are totally losing their Army ROTC program: Clarion and Millersville, and some other D2 schools that are include Truman State, Elizabeth City State, St. Augustine's, and West Virginia State.

Some schools are having their ROTC units downgraded to "Extension Units" meaning they'll still exist but the administration will be handled by staff at another schools. These include Lock Haven, Slippery Rock, Drexel, and Dickinson. Unsure what schools these units will be extensions of.

Another classification is "Crosstown Units" where everything will be merged with neighboring schools. A hypothetical example would be Pitt and Carnegie Mellon sharing a unit since they're across the street from another. No PSAC schools affected, but one D2, Central State, will likely share with Cedarville and Wilberforce.

I'm not sure how this helps anything. A dripping faucet isn't the cause of water bill problems.

What about IUP? Back in the day the campus looked like an Army base when they had to be in uniform.

[Fightingscot82]

What about IUP? Back in the day the campus looked like an Army base when they had to be in uniform.

Safe for now. I don't know enough to understand the methodology - Slippery Rock was downgraded to a branch program but they were one of the top programs for producing PA Guard officers. Honestly, nothing in federal or state government seems to make sense anymore if one's paid attention to the past several decades.

As fate would have it, Slippery Rock's Army ROTC unit has been merged with IUP's. How does that even make sense?

[Ship69]

Safe for now. I don't know enough to understand the methodology - Slippery Rock was downgraded to a branch program but they were one of the top programs for producing PA Guard officers. Honestly, nothing in federal or state government seems to make sense anymore if one's paid attention to the past several decades.

As fate would have it, Slippery Rock's Army ROTC unit has been merged with IUP's. How does that even make sense?

Shippensburg has had a very highly rated ROTC program, and with its proximity to the Army War College in Carlisle, many officers have obtained graduate degrees at Ship.

[iupgroundhog]

Safe for now. I don't know enough to understand the methodology - Slippery Rock was downgraded to a branch program but they were one of the top programs for producing PA Guard officers. Honestly, nothing in federal or state government seems to make sense anymore if one's paid attention to the past several decades.

As fate would have it, Slippery Rock's Army ROTC unit has been merged with IUP's. How does that even make sense?

When I saw your earlier post, my initial thought was that SRU's program would be folded into IUP's. Based on geography and the history of cooperation between the schools, it makes perfect sense. Maybe not for the football fans, though.

[iupgroundhog]

What about IUP? Back in the day the campus looked like an Army base when they had to be in uniform.

Back then, it was one of the 2 or 3 largest ROTC programs on the East Coast. Participating in ROTC could replace H&PE requirements and ROTC promoted that to the freshmen. Then they would encourage students to continue in ROTC past freshman year.

So, rather than taking the same old H&PE stuff I had taken all through HS, I opted for ROTC as a freshman. My courses were Marksmanship and Orienteering. Those replaced the PE requirements. To replace the Health requirement, you got military history courses. They were really good. It was a lot better than regurgitating the H&PE courses, which just seemed like filler. I don't know the status of ROTC at IUP today but back then it was a big thing.

I recall that the last military history professor I had, who was a great guy, was leaving IUP after that semester to be a personal caregiver to aging 5-star general Omar Bradley. The prof was very excited and honored about it. The professors were fairly high ranking military officers on active duty. I'm not a military guy but it was pretty cool.