PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Public Schools superintendent Dr. Wayne Walters has requested that the district’s board of directors postpone a vote related to possible school closures.
The board was set to vote on a feasibility plan that could close more than a dozen schools, but Walters pulled the item from the meeting agenda. He says the delay will allow time for further analysis and to incorporate information the board has requested about the district’s feasibility report.
It also comes two days after more than 100 people signed up to speak out against the plan at a public hearing. Many attended specifically to try and save Pittsburgh Conroy, the district’s only dedicated special education center.
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The current feasibility report was developed at the school board’s request after a consulting firm hired by the district, Education Resource Strategies (ERS). It recommends closing 14 schools and 10 facilities while also opening three schools. Administrators highlighted the need for change, citing enrollment and financial issues. The district also aims to provide an equitable experience for students while enhancing sustainability.
“The recommendations presented by ERS were not developed in isolation. They were informed by deep engagement with thousands of stakeholders, including students, staff, families, community members, and the Board,” a statement from Superintendent Dr. Wayne N. Walters said. “Still, we have heard clearly that more information is needed, and we remain committed to transparency and collaboration as we move forward.”
Walters says an updated report will include a financial analysis, a preliminary transportation plan and a review of capital investment needs. That information will be used to shape a final set of recommendations and a proposed phasing plan. This updated report will be presented in April along with a final recommendation for a demographer to conduct a comprehensive demographic study.
“Right now, we operate five schools with fewer than 149 students, and 16 schools with fewer than 249 students,” Walters told Channel 11 at the board of directors meeting. “There’s still a commitment to provide a high-quality education for all students in Pittsburgh Public Schools. That’s been the core focus from the very beginning.”
Jazlynn Worthy has two kids who go to Woolslair Elementary, one of the 14 schools at risk of closing. She and many other parents question how the decision to close schools can be made without all the information.
“There’s so many variables that I don’t know that it’s, I’m worried. I’m worried,” Worthy said.
Those variables include a transportation plan, moving students from buildings being renovated or closed and the cost of it all.
Worthy is happy the vote to start the process of school closures was delayed. She said she understands the need to close schools and make changes. She’s just hoping it doesn’t hurt her children’s education.
“All that we’re asking you to do is make sure you do the work, put in the time, put in the effort to ensure that the plan that you have in place doesn’t impact our children as much,” Worthy said. “We just want the damage to not be as substantial as other school closures have been in the past because it’s been devastating.”
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