Latest news with #CrawfordTech
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Yahoo
Area districts advance cyber programs, call for even playing field
The vibe inside the Conneaut Cyber Academy cyber lounge on Friday was low key, but that was part of the appeal. A couple of easy chairs in one corner were empty, and the coffee maker in another was silent. Seated at tables in the middle of the room, juniors Amanda Shearer, Daylee Watson and Mitchell Lasko checked their computers before heading from Linesville to Meadville for the second half of their school day in various Crawford Tech programs. In another corner of the room, Jason Wertelet, one of the district's two full-time cyber teachers, was seated in front of two widescreen monitors, ready to answer questions on topics ranging from pre-algebra for seventh graders to AP calculus. The flexibility offered by taking some classes online through the Conneaut Cyber Academy, now in its 15th year, has been a game-changer for the 55 full-time students in the program this year as well as the 80 students, like Shearer, Watson and Lasko, whose schedules are a blend of in-person and cyber classes. 'It's really nice,' Shearer said of the cyber option. 'We can't take all of our classes like other students can because we only have half a day here.' Last year, for instance, Shearer couldn't fit an agriculture class into her half-day schedule at Conneaut Area Senior High (CASH). Taking the class online through Conneaut Cyber Academy allowed her to remain in the school's FFA club, where enrollment in an ag class is a requirement. This year, she is taking physical education and health online while taking agriculture in person. For Watson, cyber versions of her Spanish and health classes enable her to balance classes at CASH, the sports medicine program at Crawford Tech, and the demands of a wrestling schedule that saw her earn a silver medal at the PIAA championships in Hershey last month. 'I'm able to do some work at home and not overwhelm myself at school with so many classes,' Watson said. 'With the cyber classes, we can get it done any time we have an opening.' Lasko, who spends half his school day working at Griffin Motors Co. through Crawford Tech's cooperative education program, wouldn't be able to take all of his required classes this semester if not for the cyber option. 'I like it because I've got a pretty busy schedule these days as a co-op student, and I don't have time to get all my school work done in school,' Lasko said. 'So it's nice to have all week to get the assignments done on your own time.' The program is not for everyone, according to Wertelet, who was been part of Conneaut's cyber offerings since they were launched. 'There has to be a self-motivation for the students,' he said. That attitude is sometimes lacking, he added, in students who come to Conneaut's cyber school from other cyber programs expecting an easy ride. 'I can tell when some students come from other cyber programs and they just will open up an assignment and submit an assignment because they've had teachers that have never even looked at anything before,' he said. 'I'm like, I'm sorry — I actually grade.' Calls for changes Like the students in the cyber classes, area school districts are hoping that in-house options can reshape the current cyber school landscape. In addition to building their own programs, the districts continue to mobilize in favor of major changes to how the state funds cyber charter schools, their primary competition in the world of online education. It's a war that has featured numerous skirmishes over the past decade, many of them coming in the form of springtime griping from district officials concerned about the impact of cyber charter tuition costs on annual budgets. More recently, however, local districts have grown increasingly vocal in their calls for reform following the February release of an audit of cyber charter school performance from 2020 to 2023 by the Pennsylvania Department of the Auditor General. Among several key findings, the report described how the fund balances of cyber charter schools ballooned from $254 million to $619 million in the three-year period of the audit, an increase of 144 percent. The report also noted that while students who transfer to cyber charter schools from different districts receive similar educations, the tuition charges to their home districts can vary widely — from $6,975 to $25,150 per student for regular education and from $18,329 to $60,166 per student for special education. Because each of Pennsylvania's 500 school districts is required to calculate its own rate for regular and special education cyber charter tuition, there are 1,000 distinct tuition rates paid across the state to each cyber charter school, according to the auditor general's report. Board members in Crawford Central School District last month unanimously endorsed a letter to Sen. Michele Brooks and Rep. Brad Roae, the legislators who represent Crawford Central residents, calling for changes. In addition to endorsing 'a comprehensive reassessment of the cyber charter school funding model,' the letter asked Brooks and Roae to consider requiring students to use a district's own cyber platform rather than private cyber charter schools. Last year, Conneaut board members endorsed a similar letter to legislators that called for cyber charter tuition costs for regular education to be capped at $10,000 per student with an added provision that would have required all school districts to pay the statewide tuition rate or their calculated charter school tuition rate, whichever was lower. Earlier this month, PENNCREST School District officials encouraged district residents to send similar letters to Roae and Brooks calling for cyber charter reform. PENNCREST board member Tim Brown said he was disappointed to find both Brooks and Roae 'standoffish' when he raised the subject of cyber charter reform at a recent Republican Party event. 'As many letters as we can get out, we should,' Brown said. 'That's the key,' board President Bob Johnston agreed. 'They've heard from us board members, and I think they're just getting tired of hearing from us.' Response from legislators It's not as though years of school district concerns regarding cyber charter funding have been ignored. In fact, the latest calls for change come after major changes in 2024, according to Brooks. 'Last year we enacted significant reforms that included a reduction in cyber charter school special education costs by approximately $190 million annually beginning January 1st of this year,' Brooks said in a statement to The Meadville Tribune. 'In addition, school districts received $100 million in cyber charter reimbursements. Ethics and transparency measures were also passed at that time. I have to believe we'll see additional movement and reforms on this topic during this year's budget.' Roae, on the other hand, appeared less sympathetic to the idea of increasing limitations on cyber charter school funding. In an emailed statement, he highlighted Conneaut's spending, saying the district spends about $25,000 per student, well above the national average. 'When a student leaves for a cyber charter school, Conneaut pays $14,875 tuition,' Roae said. 'Conneaut gets to keep the other $10,129 even though they no longer have to educate that student.' Capping cyber charter tuition costs at $8,000 per student, Roae said, would mean 'Conneaut would keep $17,004 for a student that they no longer have, but the school educating that child would only get $8,000.' 'All local districts have similar numbers,' he added. Fair competition It's an argument Roae has made before and that school district officials have responded to before. One point of contention is that school districts spend thousands per student on costs associated with brick-and-mortar buildings, transportation and other requirements that cyber charter schools don't incur. While individual students may depart for cyber charter schools, these costs remain — but at least part of the tax revenue that should pay form them follows the student to the cyber charter school that doesn't have to transport students or maintain the same infrastructure-intensive system of buildings. In responding to arguments like Roae's, Jarrin Sperry, Conneaut's outgoing superintendent, has pointed out the district's roughly $2 million in annual transportation costs and argued that the comparison Roae draws is no comparison at all. 'To simply take a district's budget and divide it by the number of students is misguided at best and dishonest at worst,' Sperry wrote in one response. 'If Conneaut's budget numbers were reduced to the same level as a cyber charter, the numbers would become more honest.' Looking at just the expenses for teachers, administrators and business offices, Sperry argued, Conneaut's annual per-pupil costs are less than $12,000 — significantly less than the amount it pays per pupil for cyber charter tuition. In making a similar point this month, PENNCREST Superintendent Shawn Ford said he was in favor of competition between public schools and cyber charter schools. 'I think it makes you better,' Ford told board members. 'I'm not even saying that we shouldn't help fund those schools, OK? But what I am saying — let's make it reasonable.' At $8,000 per student for regular education, PENNCREST would save nearly $1 million next year, according to district estimates, about 1.7 percent of its projected $58 million budget. 'We'll compete with anyone,' Ford said, 'but put us on the fair grounds to compete.'
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Norwood recognized by governor for planning efforts
It's said that failing to plan is planning to fail, but in Crawford County that won't happen on Zachary Norwood's watch. This month, the planning director's work has paid off as the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania recognized Norwood as a recipient of the 2025 Governor's Award for Local Government Excellence. Norwood was one of 19 officials in local government to receive the honor, which recognizes officials for their dedication to improving public services through innovative initiatives. The award is presented annually during Local Government Week and recognizes people focused on community partnerships, fiscal accountability, and sound land use. Norwood, who moved to Crawford County and joined the planning department 10 years ago, took the seat of director eight years ago. Under his leadership, the planning office has undertaken various initiatives, including adopting the Crawford Inspired comprehensive plan and investing in physical amenities. Norwood's work has supported investments like millions in funding for local parks and trails, the county's ongoing housing rehabilitation program, and attraction of private sector investment — such as Evans Square, Adams Place and the proposed redevelopment of the blighted nursing home in Cambridge Springs. A decade ago, when Norwood first joined, the planning office had adopted a comprehensive plan and had numerous outstanding grant funds that needed to be administered for various projects and programs. 'I took on the role of starting the implementation of the comprehensive plan but also management and oversight of various grant programs,' he said. He focused on initiatives like the Community Development Block Grant program and the county's Act 13 program. Over the past decade, he has expanded the list to include other federal and state resources for investment. A key component for Norwood has been community engagement and communication. 'One of the most predominant ways we engage and secure public voices is through the comprehensive planning process,' he said. The comprehensive plan is like a road map that the county produces every 10 years and guides the county's decision-making. They do surveys, hold meetings, send out direct mailings and engage residents online. 'Every policy we put out, every grant we go after, every project or initiative we're investing in is intended to further the vision and further the priorities of our citizens that have been expressed in that planning process,' Norwood expressed. He has also collaborated with various entities like Allegheny College, Crawford County and Crawford Tech, which have all partnered on a federal application for workforce development. The commission is made of volunteer citizen planners and professional staff who aim to use solution-oriented services to grow the local economy, enhance quality of life and preserve the natural environment. It's that whole team that Norwood said deserves recognition. 'While this is a recognition for myself because I was the named individual, nobody gets to where they are by themselves,' he said. 'I am fortunate enough to have an outstanding staff with a number of extraordinary professionals and a thoroughly engaged planning commission. … And a board of commissioners who have supported us the entire way through and have bought into the vision of Crawford Inspired.' In addition to his role in Crawford County, Norwood serves as the chair of the Northwest Section of the Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Planning Association, chair of the Northwest Regional Transportation Advisory Committee, and a member of the statewide County Planning Directors Association of Pennsylvania. County Commissioner Chris Seeley applauded Norwood's achievement in a recent news release, saying, 'Zach has been a driving force behind Crawford County's ability to think long-term, work collaboratively, and deliver on a shared vision for the future. His leadership, professionalism and deep commitment to community engagement have elevated the work of our Planning agency and made a real difference across our county. This recognition is incredibly well-deserved.'
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Students and others planting trees, cultivating futures
A crew of students from the life skills transitional program housed at Crawford Tech reported for work at Huidekoper Park around midday Wednesday. The day was gray, unseasonably cold and altogether miserable weather-wise, but the students didn't seem to mind as they followed representatives of Penn State Extension and the city of Meadville's Shade Tree Commission. With his red hood pulled over his head and gloves on his hands, Garrett Gerber counteracted the chill by picking up a shovel and joining work on a hole that would soon welcome a new oak tree. 'It's good when you get to be outside,' he said. Gerber and classmates Rhonda Husband and Clarissa Mook, along with life skills paraprofessional Brenda Elliott, joined the city's liaison to the Shade Tree Commission, Alice Sjolander; Shade Tree Commission member Danuta Majchrowicz; and Scott Sjolander, Penn State Extension urban and community forester, to plant five trees in the recently renovated Huidekoper Park. The trees — a mix of swamp white oaks and red maples — are part of a group of 35 trees planted by volunteers over the past 10 days at three city parks and two locations in the city's Fifth Ward thanks to $11,000 in funding from two programs operated by nonprofit TreePennsylvania, the Bare Root Tree grant program and PA's Environmental Justice Forests grant program. Unlike Gerber, Husband had previous experience with tree planting, having participated in a similar event the previous weekend at the Columbia Avenue community orchard, where about a dozen trees were installed. 'You get a workout — you get muscles from it,' Husband said. Mook, a self-described 'farm girl,' was familiar with similar work as well. 'I love it, coming out and helping and planting and weeding and stuff,' she said. 'I just like being outside and meeting new people and learning different things.' All three of the students are 21 and will soon complete the life skills transitional program operated by Northwest Tri-County Intermediate Unit 5. The program allows life skills students to continue in school after the year they turn 18, gaining additional experience, including time spent working at a variety of local businesses and organizations ranging from assisted living facilities to preschools, fast food and ice cream shops to hotels. After completing the program, Gerber will attend Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa, while Husband is eager to begin work at Juniper Village, a place she has already become familiar with through the transitional program. 'I've been wanting to work ever since,' she said. 'I'm very excited I'm finally going to get a chance to actually work outside of school.' The effort at Huidekoper and other city locations came as similar work was being performed in 50 communities across the state. More than 1,200 young trees were distributed for planting, according to Jessica Cavey, program director of Tree Pennsylvania, a private nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing tree canopy across the commonwealth through grant and scholarship programs. Alice Sjolander, who worked on the grant that funded the tree plantings, said another 35 trees will be planted in the fall, primarily along South Main Street and nearby on several cross streets. Where the spring plantings were mostly in parks or similar areas, the fall plantings will be in more urban locations, but all of the trees are relatively mature at 10 feet in height or more. 'These trees will make a big difference in the community pretty quickly,' she said. Sjolander said it remained to be seen if funding for the fall trees remained available. 'They squeaked this one in,' she said, referring to the grant support obtained by TreePennsylvania. The statewide tree planting is a collaborative effort of TreePennsylvania and in collaboration with the state's Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Penn State Extension and the U.S. Forest Service. Ultimately, however, the funding comes from the federal partner — the Forest Service. Since the beginning of the second Trump administration earlier this year, environmental justice programs such as the one providing a portion of the funding for the Meadville tree plantings, have come under consistent fire. Earlier this month, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin labeled environmental justice programs as 'scams' and said he had canceled more than $22 billion in environmental justice and DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) grants and contracts. Jessica Cavey, TreePennsylvania program director, said the grant supporting the work was awarded in 2024 and expressed confidence that funding for the fall plantings remained secure. 'Meadville will receive the other half of their trees,' she said. 'However, if we applied for this funding now in anticipation of a 2026 grant, I would be very cautious of anticipating that grant being accepted because it mentions environmental justice, it mentions disadvantaged communities, it mentions climate change — those kinds of things — and those words right now are huge red flags for this administration, unfortunately.'
Yahoo
08-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Crawford Co. students get hands-on experience building homes for those in need
Students at Crawford County Career and Technical Center are working on a project to shelter those in need. With a project funded by Erie County, students are not only building tiny homes but a future for themselves. Erie Co. to begin constructing tiny homes to help alleviate homeless population 'I wanted to do something hands-on, something that would actually impact the world and I just ended up really liking this,' said Megan Howell, a Cambridge Springs High School 11th grader at Crawford Tech. Eleventh grader Megan Howell and dozens of other teens are building the foundation of their futures one tiny home at a time. In partnership with Erie County Executive Brenton Davis' A Pathway Home Village project, students at Crawford Tech are learning trade skills while giving back to the community. 'A pathway home' village will provide 25 tiny homes for people experiencing homelessness. Erie religious groups protest Trump immigration policies in downtown Erie $2 Million has been allocated from American Rescue Plan money to Erie care management. 'A lot of these vocational training programs build a small house indoors and then they tear it down at the end of the year and to me when I saw that it was a waste of labor,' Davis said. 'It's something the students can do to give back but also participate on a real-world project.' Fifteen single-story homes are designed to house two people and 10 are double-story for families up to six. 'One of the largest gaps in Erie County would be families that find themselves homeless that have children so to be able to quickly fill that need to be that stop-gap that somebody needs when they fall on hard times you can rapidly re-house them,' Davis explained. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now When the structure is delivered to Crawford Tech they're in a bare shell form. From here, students are able to get real hands-on experience in everything from plumbing to HVAC systems to electrical. 'The interesting thing about this too is that we're going to have students teaching students,' said Michael Costa, assistant director of the Crawford County Career and Technical Center. 'They're already problem-solving as they are going through and looking at this bare pictures.' Student Megan aspires to have a fulfilling career to help impact others with their everyday needs. She said the technical school has completely changed her path, even though sometimes she's the only woman in the room. Pymatuning State Park hosting annual Winter Fun Day 'Something that a lot of people say that us women can't do and I would like to prove them wrong and I so far have. Just have confidence in yourself,' Howell went on to say. The first tiny homes will be installed adjacent to the Erie County Community Resilience Center on the corner of 16th and Wallace Streets. County Executive Davis has a goal to make 50 this year and spread them out within Erie County. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
