Building a Steam Trike From Recycled Parts The Big Boy 4014 steam locomotive can certainly teach students a lot, but students need to get involved in active, hands-on projects that teach them new skills while they learn about that technology and a professor down in Brazil, built a really neat project to show how it’s […]
Will Schools Take Advantage of What a Massive Steam Locomotive Can Teach?
There’s been enormous interest in the Union Pacific Big Boy 4-8-8-4 which will pass through North East, but I wonder how many readers picked up on my statement in the article that it’s “U.S. history, mechanical engineering and physics all rolled into one.” Actually, it’s even more than that and our schools should use it […]
Millcreek Superintendent Fiasco Reveals Incredible Missteps and Missing Documents
Important missing documents Did he ever supply them before the 90 day limit? In my previous post about Ian Roberts being hired by the Millcreek School District for the position of superintendent, I had a series of questions, but they barely scratched the surface of what others are now finding. There is an amazing thread […]
Former Millcreek School Superintendent Arrested by ICE as Illegal Alien with Deportation Order (UPDATED)
From L to R – Ian Roberts mugshot 9-26-25, mugshot February 2020, Loaded handgun found in car 9-26-25 How well do our public schools investigate potential employees? Especially superintendents! How does an illegal alien get hired for a position like this? He was reportedly making $305,000 as a superintendent for the Des Moines Public Schools […]
Rural PA Schools Make Big Changes to Address Declining Enrollment But Not NE
A recent article in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette details the situation across northern PA where rural and small school districts are facing declining student enrollment and smaller budgets. The schools have taken several actions to deal with the issues, among them sharing services and merging districts, even sharing a superintendent. The North East School District […]
NESD Proposed 2025-2026 Final Budget Details with 2.98 Percent Tax Increase
The North East School District Board of School Directors has adopted a proposed final budget in the amount of $31,121,303 for the 2025-2026 school year at its regular meeting held on April 24, 2025. The budget is available for public inspection on the District’s website, www.NESD1.org (and at the links below). Final action will be […]
The NE School District’s Battle with Cyber Charter Schools Heats Up
Cyber charter schools from the NESD perspective Over the last two NE School District board meetings, Assistant Superintendent Brian Emick presented a great deal of information about cyber charter schools. The presentations emphasized how expensive cyber charter schools across Pennsylvania are and how any student in our district choosing to attend one of those schools […]
“End DEI” Portal Launched by Department of Education – NESD Must Act Now
Two weeks ago, the US Department of Education notified school districts they have 14 days to remove all DEI programming in all public schools. Institutions which fail to comply may face a loss of federal funding. Well, time’s up. Yesterday, the US Department of Education announced an “End DEI” portal. … the U.S. Department of […]
NE School Board Meeting Runs 3 Hours in Long and Often Contentious Session
You should have been there. The school board meeting Thursday evening, 2-20-25, covered a wide range of topics and ran over three hours in length. Anyone interested in recent issues and controversies would have found the discussion and comments from the administration, the board and the public enlightening, frustrating and concerning. Hmm … where to […]
Is NESD Building an Entrance Archway Without School Board Approval or Funding?
At the last school board meeting, there was an interesting item on the agenda, an entrance archway to be constructed on Gold Drive. Some members of the school board were surprised by this project. There seemed to be some confusion because the project appears to be already under way even though the board had not […]





