Low aptitude welcome…but wait, not all…

By Todd Bartley, TalkWilliamsport.com

News@TalkWilliamsport.com

When the Williamsport Area School District claims that “Under the agreement, all WAHS graduates now have guaranteed admission to the Bloomsburg, Lock Haven or Mansfield University campuses as well as on-campus housing for up to four years of full-time enrollment.”

According to the actual agreement obtained by Talkwilliamsport.com; that WASD statement is patently false.

The boiler plate agreement being used by Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania (Bloomsburg, Lock Haven and Mansfield Universities) with upwards of 40 different central Pennsylvania high schools reads quite differently than the Williamsport Area School District would have the Class of 2023 believe.

This is not the first time the Williamsport Area School District has engaged in making misleading public statements.

The Williamsport Area School District could not wait to share with the world, the same agreement Centre County Schools entered into earlier this week.

From the Williamsport Area School District Facebook page:

Big news! Thanks to an agreement we recently entered into, Williamsport Area High School students now have guaranteed admission to Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania!

Under the agreement, all WAHS graduates now have guaranteed admission to Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania, Lock Haven University and Mansfield University of Pennsylvania campuses as well as on-campus housing for up to four years of full-time enrollment. Read more: https://bit.ly/3SldNzg

#WASDProud #MillionaireProud

The Williamsport Area School District also posted the following graphic and narrative to its website announcing the agreement.

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (OCTOBER 20, 2022) — Williamsport Area High School students now have guaranteed admission to Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania, thanks to an agreement recently signed by the Williamsport Area School District.

Under the agreement, all WAHS graduates now have guaranteed admission to the Bloomsburg, Lock Haven or Mansfield University campuses as well as on-campus housing for up to four years of full-time enrollment.

Students must apply prior to Dec. 15 of their senior year to qualify and meet all application requirements.

Commonwealth University also will provide merit-based scholarship opportunities to students meeting certain grade point average requirements.

The four tiers of the scholarship are:

Tier 1: 95% or above or 3.8 to 4.0 cumulative GPA— $28,000; $7,000 annually
Tier 2: 90-94% or above or 3.5 to 3.79 cumulative GPA — $24,000; $6,000 annually
Tier 3: 85-89% or above or 3.0 to 3.49 cumulative GPA — $16,000; $4,000 annually
Tier 4: 80-84% or above or 2.5 to 2.99 cumulative GPA — $12,000; $3,000 annually

All scholarship recipients must be enrolled full time and have 12 or more credit hours per academic semester. A minimum GPA of 2.5 must be maintained and the student must remain in good academic standing.

On-campus housing is guaranteed at any of the three campuses for up to four years of full-time student enrollment.

“This is a great opportunity for our graduating seniors,” said Principal Dr. Justin Ross. “Entering into this agreement has helped to clear the path for our students, regardless of their socioeconomic status, to attend any of these three university campuses to obtain a college degree. We’re extremely grateful this agreement is now in place and will serve our graduates well for years to come.”

Dr. Justin Ross replaced criminally charged for an alleged inappropriate sexual relationship with a WAHS student former WAHS head principal Dr. Roger Freed who succeeded longtime WAHS head principal Dr. Brandon Pardoe who was promoted to WASD Director of Student Services after also serving as WAHS head principal and the supervisor of Dr. Freed.

TalkWilliamsport.com obtained the boiler plate agreement from the State College School District and the same agreement was signed off on by WAHS officials but not the WASD school board as their Tuesday meeting did not occur due to a lack of quorum (not enough board members attended to have a meeting).

From the SCASD agreement:

B. PROCEDURES

SCASD agrees to publicize this Guaranteed Admissions Agreement to students in its school district communications and correspondence, and to inform qualified, matriculating students of the opportunity for admission to, and scholarship qualifications, at Commonwealth University under the terms of this agreement. Commonwealth University will recognize student attendance at the Bloomsburg, Lock Haven, and Mansfield campuses. SCASD students must enroll no later than the fall semester immediately following their high school graduation. They cannot attend another two-year or four-year institution after graduating from SCASD. Otherwise, the Guaranteed Admissions and matching scholarship is null and void.

SCASD students must complete the Commonwealth University Application for Admission by December 15 of their senior year to qualify for the Guaranteed Admissions and scholarship criteria. Late applicants who apply for admission after that deadline may not be considered as part of the agreement and scholarship criteria.

The following items are the responsibility of students participating in the Guaranteed Admissions program:

1. Graduate from State College Area School District with a minimum overall grade point average that satisfies the academic standards of the school district and The Pennsylvania Department of Education.

2. At the time of application, provide transcripts of all courses completed up to and including the current grade reporting period.

3. Upon graduating from SCASD, provide official final transcripts to Commonwealth University.

4. SCASD students must complete the Commonwealth University Application for Admission by December 15 if enrolling for the following fall semester, and to be considered for the Guaranteed Admissions and scholarship award criteria. Admission under this agreement will be contingent upon completing items 1 to 3, above, and graduation from State College Area School District.

5. Pay the required advanced deposit to hold a seat for the initial semester of admittance.

6. Pay Commonwealth University’s tuition and fees for those semesters in which they are registered for courses at Commonwealth University.

C. CONDITIONS OF THE AGREEMENT

1. A Program Coordinator shall be identified at SCASD and Commonwealth University who will assist all students in transition regarding the application process, housing requirements at Commonwealth University, major selection and campus location, academic advising, and consideration for a scholarship award to Commonwealth University.

2. The term of this agreement shall be five (5) years commencing when all applicable signatures are obtained.The first cohort of eligible SCASD students to participate in this agreement will be part of the graduating Class of 2023 who will enroll at Commonwealth University for the Fall 2023 academic semester.

3. Any SCASD student who has successfully earned credits through dual enrollment programs at Bloomsburg, Lock Haven, or Mansfield Universities, or at other two-year or four-year accredited institutions, will have those credits appropriately applied to their major of study, once a major is declared and the student is accepted to Commonwealth University.

4. Either institution may withdraw from the agreement upon written notification of the other, with exception to commitments already in effect for students who have applied to Commonwealth University. Such commitments will be honored. In the event of a substantial breach, such as, a lack of response to requests for information and or adequate participation, either party may terminate this agreement.

5. The relationship of the parties to this contract shall not be construed to constitute a partnership, joint venture, or any other relationship, other than that of independent contractors.

So when the agreement says, in “B. PROCEDURES, SCASD agrees to publicize this Guaranteed Admissions Agreement to students in its school district communications and correspondence, and to inform qualified, matriculating students of the opportunity for admission to, and scholarship qualifications, at Commonwealth University”; ALL is not spelled qualified.

According to the Bloomsburg University admissions page,

WILL I BE ADMITTED?

The average admitted Husky has:

A “B+” average in high school
A 1070 SAT or 23 ACT (1180 SAT, 24 ACT for nursing)
Is ranked in the top 30% of their class
Taken a college prep curriculum in high school

As a matter of mere fact, being “ranked in the top 30% of their class” is not ALL.

As a matter of mere fact, not ALL WAHS students have “A “B+ average in high school”.

In fact, according to U.S. News & World Report, “Williamsport Area Senior High School has a graduation rate of 87%.

The AP® participation rate at Williamsport Area Senior High School is 17%. The total minority enrollment is 36%, and 64% of students are economically disadvantaged.”

This is a developing story on TalkWilliamsport.com.