Laurels & lances: Education and resistance
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Laurel: To recognizing worth. The cost of a college education has skyrocketed in the past decades. Pennsylvania’s college costs, in particular, are higher than in many other states.
Auditor General Timothy DeFoor visited Westmoreland County Community College on Tuesday to talk about opportunities in his office. The department is expanding its job candidate pool to include graduates of accredited associate degree programs in accounting, business, data analytics, finance, economics, math or another closely related field. That includes community colleges.
DeFoor understands the value of a community college education. He has one.
It’s encouraging to see someone with a statewide office standing up and taking proud ownership of a community college degree. Too frequently, we see politicians networking through expensive Ivy League or private school ties. Harvard produces the most congressmen and presidents, with Yale and Princeton not far behind.
But community colleges are a viable, affordable and practical choice for many people. They need to be shown not just as a cheap option but a smart stepping stone.
Lance: To holding back. Some Kiski Township residents are skeptical about their police officers becoming part of the Southern Armstrong Regional Police Department. That includes township supervisor Chairwoman Brittany Hilliard.
At a meeting this week, Hilliard doubted figures that showed joining the regional force would take the $775,000 cost of policing down to $529,000 for the municipality. Instead, she cited $567,000 estimates based on state Department of Community and Economic Development numbers.
“At this point, I am against regionalization,” she said.
Estimates are always a potential, not a guarantee, and, while Hilliard’s numbers are higher than the Southern Armstrong projection, they are still more than $200,000 less than Kiski Township’s expenditures for their own force.
And with a new police contract for Kiski officers on the horizon, the municipality is likely to see its own department cost even more.