On March 12-13, 2025, the PA State Board of Education held its 384th meeting. Highlights of the meeting included a report by the Academic Standards Review Committee that said there was an overwhelming number of responses to a request for participants on committees for the review and revision of standards for the Arts & Humanities and Health & Physical Education., which will occur from March 2025 through March 2026. The committees will be comprised of members from all parts of the state. It was also recommended that social-emotional learning be included in the formulation of the revisions. Nominees to serve on the committees were approved.
New PA Secretary of Education Dr. Carrie Rowe reported that the PA Educator Workforce Committee will, in its strategic plan review, will be making many changes to the current model of teacher certification. She also reported on the tremendous impact that a loss of Title I federal funding would have on PA schools if cut by the U.S. Department of Education.
In addition to its public sessions, the Board held a March 12th executive session with counsel to discuss legal implications of Act 69 of 2024, which established a state board of higher education. Subsequent discussion by the Board in open session centered on the need to delineate the roles and responsibilities of both the State Board and the Board of Higher Ed., since there appears to be some overlap.
On both days, PA Senator Lindsey Williams expressed her opposition with the manner in which public participation now occurs during Board meetings. She particularly said that to entertain in-person only public comment during meetings is not an acceptable method and she requested a return to the previous way of providing public participation, which allowed for both in-person and virtual participation. Her request will be taken into consideration.
A motion by PA State Council of Higher Ed. Chair Pedro Rivera was unanimously approved to form a subcommittee comprised of members from both the State Board of Ed. and the Board of Higher Ed. to meet and discuss the delineation of roles and responsibilities, to ask the General Assembly to extend the established reporting deadline of May 1, 2025 as set forth in Act 69, and to ask the Board of Higher Ed. to join in the request for an extension of the deadline and the establishment of a subcommittee.
In other action items, the Board unanimously denied the application of the Association of Christian Schools International for recognition as an Approved Private School Accrediting Organization; the board unanimously approved the 2024 Annual Report to the Governor and General Assembly; and the Board unanimously approved resolutions to recognize the services of both former Secretary of Ed. Dr. Khalid Mumin and former Executive Director of the Professional Standards and Practices Commission (PSPC) Mr. Shane Crosby. Â