City schools’ restructuring plans put on hold

The Pittsburgh Public Schools’ plan to open discussions on the potential restructuring of the district’s physical footprint and close several schools has been delayed.

The school board Tuesday decided to table a vote on a measure that would have allowed district administration to open up a conversation about restructuring with the community.

Board members raised a variety of concerns about the equity, cost savings and the impact the changes could have on the school community.

“I’m not against change, but it’s not that simple,” board member Pam Harbin said. “Change is important, and I think some of the ideas for new models and new schools are good ideas ... but the plan that’s put together around it I feel is going to have too many unintended consequences.”

It was not immediately clear when the board would again take up the issue.

Superintendent Anthony

Hamlet said it was critical for the board to allow the process to start soon because the plan is an important part of remedying the budget hole that is threatening to shut down the district at some point in 2022.

“We have a $39 million deficit that we need to eat into in some form or fashion,” Mr. Hamlet said. “As we push it down the road, it’s going to get worse and worse and worse.”

Under the district’s proposal, the schools that were set to close were Miller PreK-5 in the Hill District; Fulton PreK-5 in Highland Park; Woolslair PreK-5 in Lawrenceville; Manchester PreK-8 in Manchester; Allegheny 6-8 in the North Side; and Arsenal 6-8 in Lawrenceville.

Allegheny PreK-5 and Arsenal PreK-5 would remain open.

The only school slated to close for the 2021-22 school year is Woolslair. All others would close before the 2022-23 school year.

The district also proposed other changes, including turning Minadeo PreK-5 into a middle school, building a new career-oriented middle school at Oliver Citywide Academy, and opening a familycentered birth through second grade school in Northview Heights.

District officials said the plan could save the district about $46 million in future capital costs and carry an annual operating savings of about $2.5 million, which would come from eliminating or reducing staff, utility and transportation expenditures.

Board member Bill Gallagher, who last year said he would not vote to raise taxes unless the district found a way to cut expenditures or find new sources of revenue, said he was “very disappointed” his colleagues tabled the vote.

“We’re in the middle of a pandemic, and we have to deal with this deficit,” Mr. Gallagher said. “Now we want to kick it down the road. This is a plan. Plans change ... but it’s our job to find out what we can do, and now we kicked it down the road.”