Woodland Hills gets to work on recommendations

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The Woodland Hills school board on Thursday held its first public meeting to discuss a report that made recommendations on how to improve the district for all students.

District officials commissioned the study, which was released earlier this month, to investigate a series of problems between students and staff members during the 2016-17 school year.

The report addressed a variety of issues, including how to accommodate students from underserved communities, addressing mental health needs, and the achievement gap between white and black students. Fewer than a dozen residents of the school district attended the meeting.

School board members questioned Jerry Zahorchak and Karen Farmer White, who led the group that conducted the study, about where to start working toward improvements and whether some recommendations needed to be addressed before others.

Mr. Zahorchak, former state education secretary, and Ms. White, state Board of Education chairwoman, said it was up to the board how to begin.

“This is a lump of clay for you to carve up,” Mr. Zahorchak said.

Superintendent Alan Johnson said the district had already started working in several areas, including looking to recruit more minority teachers and updating the curriculum.

Additionally, Mr. Johnson said, more money has been budgeted to hire K-1 teachers so the student-toteacher ratio in those grades can be reduced. And he said another $250,000 had been budgeted to implement study recommendations.

School board member Jeff Hildebrand pointed out that the study report is not legally binding, and the district is under no obligation to follow it.

Mr. Johnson agreed, but said administrators have a “moral obligation” to their students.

“It’s lead, follow or get out of the way,” Mr. Johnson told the school board. “And I think this is your opportunity to lead.”