Teach in NEPA program plans to keep teachers local
HAZLETON, LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU)— A new educational partnership program in Luzerne County hopes to fight the teacher shortage here in Pennsylvania.
According to state data there are currently around 5,500 teacher vacancies.
Those vacancies are why the Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania, Luzerne County Community College (LCCC), and the Hazleton Area School District are teaming up to create the Teach in NEPA Project.
Fire department prepares for rescue training at coal mine
The Teach in NEPA Project aims to follow the Shapiro administration and the general assembly's goal of addressing the statewide teacher shortage. It starts and ends right here in Hazleton.
'You will not have to leave this community to go to school. You will not have to leave this community to earn your degree, and in most respects you're not gonna have to leave this community to find a job as a teacher,' stated John Yudichak, President, LCCC.
Through the program, students can obtain their associate's degree with LCCC and get their bachelors with commonwealth university all at LCCC's Hazleton campus.
'All four years are here in this building. The services will be brought to them. The teachers and the professors will be brought to the,' explained Dr. Bashar W. Hanna, Commonwealth University President.
While students are completing their degrees, they will train at Hazleton area, and when they graduate, they will have employment opportunities within the district.
Hazleton Area Superintendent Brian Uplinger says this is crucial as the number of students within the district continues to grow and the number of teachers declines.
'We have 80 emergency-certified folk in the district, and we have a number of teachers that are going to retire this year,' said Superintendent Uplinger.
Through a grow your own model, the Teach in NEPA Project aims to recruit and retain local students to ease the shortage and create a new generation of teachers here at home.
'The Teach in NEPA Project really is about go here, graduate here, and teach here. So this historic partnership really makes a pathway to the most affordable, accessible four year degree anywhere in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and I would say anywhere in the country,' added Yudichak.
Students can begin the program in the fall, and it will allow them to obtain their degrees for under $30,000.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Paola's Parenting Playbook presents Fentanyl, A Guide for Parents, preview
(WBRE/WYOU) — According to the CDC, synthetic opioids such as fentanyl are the primary driver of overdose deaths in the U.S. 28/22 News is taking a deep dive into this epidemic as it remains a threat facing families right here in northeastern Pennsylvania. The special program airs Friday night. Since the opioid epidemic was declared a public health emergency in 2017, it has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives. Initially driven by prescription opioids and heroin, the epidemic has shifted in recent years to illicit fentanyl. A substance 100 times more potent than morphine. 28/22 News is helping to raise awareness about the dangers of fentanyl with a special in-depth program. Paola's Parenting Playbook presents Fentanyl, A Guide for Parents, and it airs Friday night on 28/22 news. Struggling with substance use disorder can derail someone's future. Madison Hayes and Amanda O'Day know that all too well. In a special Paola's Parenting Playbook, Fentanyl, A Guide for Parents, the women open up about their drug addiction. How it started, the darkest moments, and what recovery looks like today. 'I was rapidly deteriorating, everything was going downhill. I didn't notice until I tried to take my own life,' said Hayes. Amanda's story echoes similar pain. Students getting hands on automotive learning 'I would never stick it out. I would always end up relapsing, I would find anything available, and that's what led to heroin, the pills got less and less,' said O'Day. Madison and Amanda credit their recovery to a combination of personal resilience, support from family, and access to a unique program at Luzerne County Community College. Both women are now in long-term recovery. 'He was thriving, he was out one night with friends using substances he should not have,' said Maria Pascale, Clarks Summit. You'll also meet a couple from Clarks Summit who lost their son to fentanyl poisoning. The couple has made it their mission to prevent other families from suffering the same tragedy. 'We think he was using cocaine that was laced with fentanyl, and late that night, he went to sleep and never woke up. His roommate found him that morning,' explained Pascale. Wyoming County District Attorney Joe Peters sees the impact of the fentanyl crisis up close. In a sit-down interview, he addresses the growing threat. 'Our society is being poisoned from the inside with fentanyl,' said Peters. 'Joe, you have been a drug czar, a police chief, a prosecutor, you have served in two presidential administrations. How is fentanyl getting into these street drugs?' asked 28/22 News reporter Paola Giangiacomo. 'It is being flooded into our border, now it is in everything. No one is immune, no one is safe. The most important thing a parent can do is be a parent,' said Peters. Ryan Hogan, a drug and alcohol administrator, says fentanyl remains a growing danger across Pennsylvania. His message is clear: education, access to care, and community support are the strongest tools in the fight against fentanyl. 'I would encourage any parent out there, educate as soon as possible,' said Hogan. The program also sheds light on reducing overdose deaths and expanding access to life-saving resources. Plus tips for parents on how to talk to their kids about the dangers of drug abuse. Paola's Parenting Playbook, Fentanyl, A Guide for Parents, airs Friday night. We hope you'll tune in to WBRE Friday at 8:30 p.m. and Saturday at 7:00 p.m. on WYOU. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Gov. Shapiro responds after judge restores Pennsylvania's AmeriCorps funding
(WHTM) — More than $6 million in AmeriCorps funding must go back to Pennsylvania, a federal judge in Maryland ruled Thursday. Last month, Governor Josh Shapiro joined 25 other states in a lawsuit challenging President Donald Trump's decision to cancel AmeriCorps grants. U.S. District Judge Deborah Boardman issued a temporary court order blocking the order after finding it likely violated a federal law requiring a public notice-and-comment period. Shapiro celebrated the judge's decision in a social media post. 'The federal government made a commitment to organizations across the Commonwealth, and with the abrupt termination of AmeriCorps, the Trump Administration went back on that commitment without obeying the law,' the governor said. 060525_AmeriCorps_PI_OrderDownload AmeriCorps has 655 active members serving at 248 sites in 41 counties throughout Pennsylvania, according to the governor's office. The organization distributes funds for supports services, volunteer organizations, literacy and math programs, parks, veterans programs and natural disaster assitance. What is the PA State Grant Program? Shapiro argued the cuts would put services for children, seniors, parks and education at risk. 'It's my job as Governor to protect the interest of Pennsylvania taxpayers – and I will continue to take action to ensure no Pennsylvania senior, veteran or student is harmed by the federal government's decision to go back on its word,' Shapiro said. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now AmeriCorps launched in 1993 as a government agency for national and community service. The organization said it places 200,000 people with nonprofit, community and faith-based organizations each year. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Yahoo
Governor Shapiro fights for public transit in new budget
HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) — Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro highlighted his plan to steer an additional $200 million to mass transit across Pennsylvania, calling it a lifeline for hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians. Governor Shapiro fought for public transit in the new budget during a press conference at Harrisburg's CAT Transit today. During the conference, Shapiro said he would use additional money from state sales taxes to fund mass transit. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Additional funding for mass transit passed the House three times last year, but failed in the GOP-controlled Senate. Mass transit has become a fight between mostly rural Republicans skeptical of big city public transportation and lawmakers from the city and suburbs who insist it's crucial to the economic health of the entire state. 'The Senate has made clear that they've got different ideas ideas on different funding streams and i'm open to those and they made clear that they want to do something on roads as well as mass transit and i'm open to that as well and there's no reason why we can't come together on this,' said Shapiro. The budget is due four weeks from today, June 30. When asked if he would sign a budget without his mass transit proposal, the governor responded by saying he wasn't going to get into budget hypotheticals. One of the objections among Republicans is that they see mass transit as code for more money for SEPTA in Philadelphia, a little to Pittsburgh, and almost nothing to their mass transit agencies. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
