PITTSBURGH — In a 6-3 vote, Pittsburgh Public Schools board members are moving forward with a decision allowing the superintendent to make recommendations on how school spaces are being used.
The plan will help close the school district’s massive budget gap by possibly closing schools or reconfiguring them by merging grade levels or breaking them apart.
Pittsburgh Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Wayne Walters wasn’t ready to say what recommendations he’d make, but said closures are possible.
“My priority has been to strategically allocate resources to ensure equity, excellence and efficiency and we have to do that work,” Walters said.
Allderdice High School Senior Pavel Marin believes schools need to close.
“I think it needs to be done in a well-managed manner,” Marin said. “It needs to be equitable. The community needs to be involved because closing schools is a very personal topic.”
This isn’t new for the district. In 2011, about seven schools closed for being underutilized.
Board President Gene Walker drew up the resolution along with the superintendent and solicitor. He said they’re failing students by not having every building in the district full.
“When you think of just about 19,000 students that we serve, we have capacity for double that in our district based off the size of our buildings,” Walker said.
School Board First-Vice President Devon Taliaferro voted to table the resolution to give community members more time to weigh in.
“We represent, as board members, the vision and values of community, and so we should be able to hear those voices and hear those concerns,” Taliaferro said.
Recommendations would need to be submitted by March 15.
If the administration does decide to close a school, it won’t happen right away. There would have to be a public hearing and at least a 15-day notice of that hearing.
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