Tuesday, May 21, 2013
The program runs through June 30.
- GOVERNMENT
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Tuesday, May 21
The Wilkinsburg School District is offering a tax ‘Amnesty Program’ for delinquent real estate taxes. The amnesty program will waive the 10 percent tax penalty, 100 percent of the accrued interest, and 50 percent of the outstanding attorney fees when the delinquent real estate tax, remaining attorney fees and previously incurred costs are paid in full. The program will end June 30. During the amnesty period, payment programs are not permitted for parcels that wish to take advantage of the amnesty waiver. Parcels currently engaged in a payment program can be granted amnesty for unpaid penalty, interest, and half the outstanding attorney fees when the delinquent real estate tax, remaining half of the attorney fees, and previously incurred …
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Bob Glidden, a Park Place neighborhood resident, shares a column with Patch.
- OPINION
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Tuesday, April 30
Submitted by Bob Glidden, Park Place neighborhood resident Over 100 years ago, nine lots were transferred to Wilkinsburg School District at the corner of Green Street and Mifflin Avenue. It might have been intended for a local school or some other public purpose, but over the years became a funny little patch of grass, concrete and asphalt. A vacant lot in 1905 had been put to use after park features were built, but the meaning of "vacant" was about to change for some. Twenty five years ago, the Borough of Wilkinsburg created its “Moving Toward the Future” community-wide plan, but never saw it to full implementation. The future had already been well underway by that time, in this area and throughout the world. The economic policies of …
Sunday, March 17, 2013
The state Department of Education added Wilkinsburg to the list of schools in financial distress.
Wilkinsburg School District has been placed on a financial watch list by the Pennsylvania Department of Education. The Post-Gazette reports that the district was placed on the list Friday, in part, due to a $3 million loan approved by the school board in February to help the district meet obligations through the end of the fiscal year. High millage rates also were cited as a reason to place Wilkinsburg on the watch list. The financial watch list was created by Act 141, a state law passed last year to identify and offer assistance to school districts in financial distress. The designation is part of an "Early Warning System" for designating school districts struggling to make ends meet. To read the full Post-Gazette story, click here.
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Wilkinsburg will have a two-hour delay on Wednesday morning.
Woodland Hills and Pittsburgh school will be closed Wednesday. Wilkinsburg will operate with a two-hour delay on Wednesday because of the snowfall overnight. All Community College of Allegheny County campuses, including the Braddock Hills Center, will have a late start at 10 a.m. today. To check on further developments and other closings in the Forest Hills-Regent Square area, click here for WTAE-TV's list of closings and cancellations. For weather information, click here. ______________ "Like" Patch on Facebook. | Follow us on Twitter. | Sign up for our daily email newsletter.
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Some school board members question if there's a plan to pay it back.
Wilkinsburg School Board voted on Tuesday night to borrow $3 million to keep the school district afloat for the remainder of the 2012-13 school year. But the Post-Gazette reports that three school board members who voted against the loan said the money does not address the district's long-standing financial problems and they were left wondering if there is a plan to pay it back. To read the full Post-Gazette story, click here. ______________________ "Like" Patch on Facebook. | Follow us on Twitter. | Sign up for our daily email newsletter.
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Fiscal ramifications of charter schools and inadequate deliquent tax collection blamed for money woes, business manager says.
Wilkinsburg School Board met last night to discuss a plan to borrow $3 million to help the cash-strapped school district to meet its financial obligations through the end of the school year. The Post-Gazette reports that Bruce Dakin, business manager, said the fiscal ramifications of charter school payments has resulted in the district's financial woes. The district spends between $3.5 and $4.5 million on charter school payments, a number that has increased in the past five years. Superintendent Archie Perrin added that there has not been an aggressive effort to collect about $20 million in delinquent taxes. To see the full Post-Gazette story, click here. _______________________ Forest Hills-Regent Square Patch is on Facebook and on …
Monday, February 18, 2013
What would you suggest as a reuse of this former elementary school?
Johnston School in Wilkinsburg is on one of the prime corners in the borough, near the start of the Lincoln Highway (Route 30) and close to the Parkway East (I-376). Wilkinsburg School District closed the building at the start of the 2012-13 school year. PRC Commercial Real Estate is handling the sale. According to the book, "Wilkinsburg," part of Arcadia Publishing's "Images of America" series, all but the first floor of the first Johnston School at the site was destroyed by fire in 1920. The new Johnston School was built in 1922 and added two stories to the first floor. The land on which the school is built belonged to Gen. John Johnston and was part of his farm. The land was donated to the school district by one of his grandsons, James …
Friday, February 8, 2013
The Pennsylvania Department of Education lists proposed funds by school district on its website; find out figures also for Wilkinsburg and Pittsburgh.
Gov. Tom Corbett's budget is out and, of course, everyone wants to know how much their cut of the budget pie would be—especially local school districts. In all, Woodland Hills would receive $800,932 more in total state funding under Corbett's proposal, while, in comparison, Wilkinburg would receive $516,928. Patch found that Woodland School District is slated to receive an approximately 2-percent increase in basic education funding—from $13.8 million for the 2012-13 school year to $14.1 million for 2013-14—if the governor's proposed budget passes, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Education's website. Funding is broken down into six categories on the website. For instance, it shows a $53,487 increase for Woodland Hills' non-…
Saturday, January 26, 2013
District is running out of money; cites charter school costs as one issue.
In February, a judge will rule on a petition filed by Wilkinsburg School District to borrow $3 million it needs to make payroll. WTAE-TV reports that Wilkinsburg officials said the money is going to charter schools. Also, during the past few years, they've seen cuts in state aid. The district is also hoping to make extra money by selling the old Johnston school. To read the story on WTAE, click here. _______________________ "Like" Patch on Facebook. | Follow us on Twitter. | Sign up for our daily email newsletter.
Monday, January 23, 2012
Find out how you can apply.
- SCHOOLS
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Monday, January 23, 2012
The Wilkinsburg School District School Board is looking for a new member after a recent vacancy. Interested candidates must have the following qualificatons: • Reside in Wilkinsburg for a period of no less than one year. • Submit a letter of intent why he or she would like to serve as school director as well as any qualifications and experiences that might benefit the board and school district. Please include your contact information in your letter of intent. • Send their letter of intent to the following address by 5 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 25. Letters of Intent must be submitted to: Mrs. Andrea Williams, School Board Secretary, Wilkinsburg School District, 718 Wallace Avenue, Wilkinsburg, PA 15221. Questions concerning the application …
Kevin
2:41 pm on Friday, May 3, 2013
I love a good dose of progress and prosperity, but you may want to define development and investing- sell off every inch of public space, shoe-horn as many dwellings as possible, you'll not guarantee an upward economic path- stroll through sections of L.A. that are developed and invested in, they look like faux-finished detention camps not attractive neighborhoods- they want to make money off an … more ›