Issue
The Future Ready plan to close and consolidate Pittsburgh Public Schools buildings.
School Board
Several speakers told the school board the district can't stabilize unless the city addresses why families are leaving. At a June 22 hearing, they urged the board to advocate for family-sized housing. The board doesn't set housing policy, but it's one of three local bodies that set real estate taxes. One speaker objected to any school tax money going to the proposed Downtown TRID.
School Board
The school board's May vote to close up to 12 schools didn't end families' opposition. At a June 22 hearing, speakers faulted the Future Ready plan and the conduct of board members who approved it. Several said a board member laughed at a parent in May. That parent said trust has been broken, noting half the board faces reelection next year.
School Board
Twelve Pittsburgh Public Schools are set to close as the district reorganizes grade levels. On May 27, the board approved the plan 6-2, with one abstention. Before the vote, most of the 91 people who signed up to speak opposed it, and many cited a lack of communication. The board president said nothing will change until after the 2026-27 school year.
School Board
On Feb. 17, the school board agreed to decide before summer whether to close nine school buildings. The board rejected the closure plan in November, then voted in January to reconsider it. Directors asked for more information on staffing and on the buildings if they close. Then, at a Feb. 23 hearing, parents opposed the closures, and one said many questions remain unanswered.
School Board
A district facilities plan proposed eliminating most of Pittsburgh's K-5 magnet programs. One board member said Pittsburgh Montessori should go too if the plan passes, for fairness. Then, on Feb. 25, the board unanimously denied a charter bid from Three Rivers Wildflower Montessori. About 20 parents, students, and teachers had defended Montessori at a hearing two days earlier.
School Board
A plan to close nine Pittsburgh Public Schools buildings is back on the table. After rejecting it 6-3 in November, the board voted 8-0 on Jan. 28 to reopen discussion. That version would have meant new schools for about 6,000 of the district's 18,000 students. Still, the board president said the vote wasn't an approval, and public meetings are next.