It’s hard to believe that in the 21st century, Erie County still has huge gaps in the availability of broadband internet access. North of Interstate 90, access is very good, but as soon as you begin to drive south into even slightly rural areas, coverage becomes spotty and sometimes disappears altogether. This is ridiculous. There […]
PA Cyber Charter Schools Face Challenge From Representative Curt Sonney
Cyber charter schools give parents an online alternative to brick and mortar public schools that may be failing their individual students, but legislation being introduced by Representative Curt Sonney of Erie County, may dramatically reduce the choices available. What is the problem with cyber charter schools? Currently, students can choose from a number of cyber […]
Making the Move From Shop Floor to Computer Keyboard
If you build locomotives at GE, you’ll be looking for a job pretty soon, but there aren’t many jobs like that around Erie, so what can you do? Well, the digital world of the internet, software and web apps is huge, but there’s no place for a blue collar factory worker in computer programming, … […]
Why Are Erie Schools Teaching Students How to Protest?
County executive Kathy Dahlkemper, Erie Schools Superintendent Jay Badams, Sen. Sean Wiley, school board members, teachers and students rode two chartered buses to Harrisburg to stage a demonstration demanding more money for Erie schools. Whatever your views on the issue, teaching students to protest is not what parents have in mind when they send their […]
A Modest Proposal for Parents and Students in Erie Schools
Now that everyone knows the Erie schools are in dire financial straits, it’s time for each parent and student to take matters into their own hands. The proposal to close all four high schools has everyone’s attention, but does fixing the budget, however it’s done, mean the schools are fixed, too? Convince someone else or […]
Options for Students in Troubled Erie Schools
With headlines like “Erie schools are approaching bankruptcy,” you might get the impression the district is in big trouble. Coupled with constant demands from the governor for more money for education, stories of Philadelphia schools needing $5 billion for repairs, the Erie schools finding they need more “English as a second language” teachers which will […]
