PITTSBURGH -- The effort to realign Pittsburgh schools is taking center stage Tuesday.

The school board is facing a huge deficit and now for the first time, it is asking the public for input. And Councilman Bill Peduto released information he said will help.

Peduto said a closed school doesn't have to mean an empty building. He said it could be utilized as a senior or recreation center.

To make his point, he said for the past year, students at Carnegie Mellon University's Center for Economic Development used geographic information system mapping technology to chart all city, county and school district-owned property in the city.

That information could help the school board make a more informed decision about the schools that do close and how the buildings could be utilized.

Dr. Jerry Paytas, of the CMU Center for Economic Development, said, "When we look around the city at the schools already closed there's still a lot of opportunities left with additional facilities. And as the school district moves forward, we need to do this within a broader community dialogue that looks at the need we have in the neighborhoods around the city of Pittsburgh."

Peduto said, "We shouldn't be looking at this as a battle over how which community group can shout the loudest to keep a school open. We should be looking at this holistically through city, county and school properties over how we can redefine our neighborhoods and reutilize our facilities."

Peduto is asking City Council to form a task force of representatives from the three taxing bodies -- City Council, the school board and County Council -- so they can work together in redefining neighborhoods.

The first public meeting will be held at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Milliones Middle School.

Channel 11 will have more on councilman Peduto's plan on Channel 11 News starting at 5 p.m.

Pittsburgh Public Schools Web Site