The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) has 10 universities with 14 campus locations that have undergone a drastic decline in enrollment since 2015. Although there has been a minor reversal in the latest couple of years, the prospect of future enrollment is not very good.
At its regular meeting on March 24, Allegheny County Council began the process of considering an ordinance that would “undertake a reassessment of all properties within the County once every three years, with the first such reassessment to take place in 2028.” This would be a significant improvement in assessment policy for taxpayers. The Allegheny Institute has recommended more frequent reassessments for many years.
It’s no secret that Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) schools, now with 10 universities with 14 campuses, have undergone a drastic enrollment decline since their peak period in 2015 and 2016.
But even with school consolidations and a minor student-count reversal in recent years, a researcher at the Allegheny Institute for Public Policy says the prospect for future enrollment gains is not very good.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro has proposed, and the state House has passed, a measure to raise the Keystone State’s minimum wage to $15 an hour to begin 2029. But a researcher at the Allegheny Institute for Public Policy says the detriments of such an increase (if adopted by the state Senate and signed into law by the governor) will outweigh the purported benefits.
