Teresa Ankney

==LTE==
===Pittsburgh Promise is not for everyone===
:January 2009 in the Post Gazette 
Last Sunday the Post-Gazette published an article regarding the Pittsburgh Public School's attempts to recruit new students ("City Public Schools Taking Steps to Stem Declining Enrollment," Dec. 28, 2008).
One of the selling points the board plans to use is the availability of Pittsburgh Promise funds to eligible seniors continuing onto college. This letter is a caution to families: The "Promise" is really a conditional "Premise."
Our son graduated in June 2008 from Schenley High School and was accepted at his college of choice, Ohio Northern University. Even though he was a 12-year, honors graduate of the Pittsburgh Public Schools, he was not eligible for Promise funds because his school of choice is not on the approved list of eligible institutions.
Many of his friends found themselves in a similar situation. Even though they are the best and brightest that the district can produce, these young scholars were denied Promise funding.
Within the body of the Promise document, it "vows to help all students in Pittsburgh Public Schools plan, prepare, and pay for education beyond high school at an accredited post-secondary institution within the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. "
Is the Pittsburgh Promise really designed to assist students with college expenses, or is it designed more to direct students and their funds to specified Pennsylvania colleges, regardless of the student's and family's needs and choices?
Families considering relocating should carefully evaluate The Promise of post-secondary funding to eligible students during these challenging economic times.
Teresa Ankney, Squirrel Hill