Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro yesterday unveiled his plan to merge state system schools and community colleges under one banner.
The details came during a visit to the Community College of Allegheny County in Pittsburgh yesterday. Shapiro said that the combined system would treat the 15 community colleges and 10 state-owned schools as equals, and union contracts would continue to be honored. As far as leadership is concerned, the plan does not call for the total elimination of campus boards of trustees, but there is a plan to retain some local governance structure, and future meetings between campus leaders and other stakeholders will bring more details on that portion of the plan. Another component would be to give low-income students the chance to pay only $1000 each semester for tuition. That would apply to those whose families earn $70,000 or less.
Shapiro wants to see the legislature approve the plan as part of this year’s budget, then use the 2024-25 year to transition to the new plan as the government and the schools work on refining it and adding other details.
