Pittsburgh Public Schools postpones vote on school closure plan hearings
Pittsburgh Public Schools postponed a vote that would be the first step to closing more than a dozen schools. Since the proposal was released a month ago, some board members and families have wanted more information and analysis. Now, the district is working to gather these details before moving forward.
Parents' reaction to potential school closures
As a parent of a first grader at Miller PreK-5 in the Hill District, one of the schools on the chopping block, Marlene Burton feels they deserve more answers from school leaders.
"We don't want to hear, 'Oh, we have ideas and we're going to think about this.' No, like, what do you already have set in stone that can actually be effective for everyone," Burton said.
Tisha Davison, who has a grandson in first grade at Miller PreK-5, agrees.
"It's going to be very difficult for us to try to juggle, to try to see where his school's going to be, how far we got to travel to," Davison said.
The same goes for some board members.
The board was supposed to vote on beginning the state-required public comment period on the proposed plan Wednesday evening. That includes closing 14 schools, reconfiguring the grade structures at 12 schools and finding alternative uses for existing facilities to open three new schools.
At the last minute, the district pulled it from the agenda, with Superintendent Dr. Wayne Walters saying the decision follows requests from the board and the community for more data.
"I recognize that we cannot overlook the impact that the erosion of trust has had on our relationship with members of the Pittsburgh Public Schools community, and while this erosion has a long history, I fully accept the responsibility of helping to repair it," Dr. Walters said during the meeting.
The process goes back more than a year now, as the district looked to find ways to save money and make better use of resources with declining enrollment.
Walters said this postponement will allow them time to include updated details on finances, transportation, and capital investment needs.
They'll also present a final recommendation for a demographer to review attendance zones and feeder patterns.
It's some information that Emma Yourd, board director of district 6, felt was missing from the plan.
"What I'm asking for and what other board members have been asking for is just additional information so that we can make our decision responsibly," Yourd said. "I have faith that we're going to pull together and do the right thing and make the long-term responsible decisions for the school district."
The updated proposal will be presented to the board in April.
Pittsburgh Public Schools releases plan to close, reconfigure schools
Last month, the district released the plan that recommended closing 14 schools, reconfiguring 12, and relocating three.
As a result of declining enrollment and other factors, the report recommended closing 14 schools and 10 facilities. They include: Allegheny 6-8, Arsenal PreK-5, Fulton PreK-5, King PreK-8, Linden PreK-5, Manchester PreK-8, Miller PreK-5, Milliones 6-12, Schiller 6-8, Spring Hill K-5, Woolslair PreK-5, Roosevelt K-5, South Brook 6-8, and South Hills 6-8.
The plan said that Allegheny PreK-5, Dilworth PreK-5, and Liberty PreK-5 would be transitioned from full magnet programs to neighborhood schools.
Six K-8 schools would be converted to K-5 models, including Brookline, Greenfield, Langley, Mifflin, Morrow, and Sunnyside, and three PreK-8 schools would become 6-8 middle schools: Arlington, Carmalt, and Colfax. Lastly, three 6-12 schools would be shifted to 9-12 high schools: Westinghouse, Obama, and SciTech.
The full report and presentation can be accessed at this link.
