School News

Parkland School Board approved its final budget Tuesday, which will take the millage rate from 16.30 mills to 17.12 mills, a 5% increase. The average resident will pay about $200 more in school property taxes next year.

The Parkland School Board on Tuesday accepted district Director of Performing Arts Frank Anonia’s resignation, effective Friday, June 21. Anonia recently was the subject of an internal investigation.

Superintendent Jack Silva said the spending plan “maintains all of our academic programming, asks for some additional revenue from our local taxpayers and manages our fund balance at the policy level of where it should be.”

Parkland School Board on Tuesday will vote on whether to accept district Director of Performing Arts Frank Anonia’s resignation, effective June 21, according to the meeting’s agenda.

The free summer learning program runs Tuesdays through Thursdays for six weeks starting June 25. Registration is required and is open for a limited time.

Just about everything appears to be in order in regard to an agreement between Easton officials and the school district to revamp Vanderveer Park.

The Pennsylvania House passed a bill last week that would overhaul the state’s education funding system, sending millions to Lehigh Valley schools over the next seven years. But it faces an uncertain future in the Senate.

Over the past 14 weeks, about a dozen Lehigh Valley teens participated in the pre-apprenticeship program at the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local Union 375 in Allentown.

The mural, by artist Mercedes Salazar, is a collaboration with Lehigh Valley Arts & Cultural Alliance, Community Action of Development of Allentown, The Chamber Foundation and Allentown Mural Arts.

The grant program would allow schools to recruit students, paraprofessionals and other community members to pursue a career in education. It passed the House with bipartisan support last year but has been stuck in committee in the Senate since then.

Parkland School District Superintendent Mark Madson is the latest school official to spell out policies and procedures related to immigration. It comes as the new Trump administration cracks down on illegal immigration and has said it will allow arrests at schools.

While it doesn't have a vote in the matter, Easton Area School District's board opened up a discussion over student and community concerns linked to the controversial warehouse plan at the Easton-Wilson Borough border.

A fraction of Lafayette College's faculty signed a no-confidence motion against President Nicole Hurd. On Tuesday night, a majority of the nearly 200 faculty members who voted passed the measure.

Bethlehem Area School District's board of education accepted conditions of approval linked to plans for a new Fountain Hill Elementary School during their Wednesday, Jan. 27 meeting.

Ten faculty members signed a 12-page, no-confidence motion highlighting their concerns with President Nicole Hurd's leadership. A vote is reportedly set for Tuesday.

Tenth graders at William Allen High School in Allentown unveiled a mural they created with the help of local artist Kyle Edwards. The PA State GEAR UP program funded the project.

Superintendent Carol Birks said the district is working with its attorneys to determine responses to President Donald Trump's recent immigration changes.

The school district will know more about what its state funding looks like next month. Gov. Josh Shapiro will deliver his budget address the first week of February.

Northampton Community College announced agreements Thursday for three Pa. universities to accept NCC coursework toward four-year degrees.

Lehigh Valley Health Network and the Easton Area Community Center’s St. Anthony’s Youth Center received state grants to support violence prevention and out-of-school programs. The $1.1 million in funding will enhance community efforts to reduce violence and grow youth development initiatives.

Shapiro highlighted his administration's historic investments in K-12 public education in the last two years before his budget address in the first week of February.

Francis Anonia, a former Parkland High School performing arts teacher, was arraigned in Lehigh County Court on Friday morning on charges he used his cell phone multiple times to secretly record a male student in a school changing room in 2022. If found guilty of all 19 charges, he could face up to 88 years in prison.